Chapter 6
The gods had the Titan Prometheus, who had surrendered after foreseeing the future in the war against the Titans, create the human race. And his brother Epimetheus created various life forms I know of, such as pigs, horses, birds, and so on.
At this crucial turning point in the world, what was I, Hades, King of the Underworld, doing?
"These days, the number of souls passing over the River Styx has increased significantly."
"Hades, isn't it ultimately about humans? Dealing with other life forms as well is too much work for me..."
"Ask Hypnos, the God of Sleep, for a little help, and once the Underworld stabilizes, start bringing only humans from then on."
I was busy reorganizing the Underworld due to the numerous deaths of newly created life forms. The Underworld isn't a space solely for humans.
As countless souls that reached the end of their lives flooded into the Underworld, my work as the manager of the Underworld increased dramatically. If I had been living a leisurely divine life until now, it meant that from now on, I had to start managing in earnest as the King of the Dead.
The newly born life forms died far too easily.
Life forms thrown into nature by the gods began a fierce struggle for survival, and Thanatos, the god of death who brings deceased souls to the Underworld, complained of fatigue.
As he, who became the busiest worker in the Underworld overnight, began sending many of his shadows, or rather avatars, to bring dead souls, the Underworld became crowded with souls. To the point where there were souls waiting to be reincarnated from the Underworld.
Fortunately, this is a problem that time can solve. After some time passes, the newly born life forms will learn wisdom from their surviving ancestors and be able to live longer than they do now.
"Hades, these days I'm wondering if joining Cronus's side might have been the right choice."
...Let's endure it since I'm having a hard time too.
But for now, some gods have entered a period of hard work. Thanatos, the personification of death, became haggard with sunken eyes from controlling his numerous avatars.
His glossy wings became dry and rough, and his steel-like black feathers seemed to be falling out one by one. Could we witness an immortal god, and a son of Nyx at that, collapse from overwork?
"It's terrifying to hear such words from the King of the Underworld. Please don't joke about that, even in jest."
Thanatos made a sour expression and sighed.
Oops, I spoke my thoughts out loud again. The Underworld is so quiet that I've developed a habit of talking to myself.
After much time passed and the cycle of life and death normalized, restoring peace to the Underworld, we cheered.
From the perspective of immortal gods, not an enormous amount of time had passed, but...
Finally, animals had adapted to their environments, and humans formed groups, reducing the frequency of easy deaths. Although it was a short time, the hellish (Tartarus-like) work was now coming to an end.
If Zeus hadn't created a human named Pandora and sent all sorts of diseases and harmful substances to the earth in the meantime, the work might have been a bit easier. Or he could have made Prometheus work as a slave in the Underworld as punishment for giving fire to humans.
Honestly, I think having his liver eaten by an eagle just for sharing some fire is too harsh. Thanks to that, humans occasionally offer sacrifices...
The Underworld was saturated for a while because of Pandora's box that Zeus abandoned on earth. Shouldn't he at least occasionally dispatch Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom?
Anyway, with some free time at last, a modest party was held in the Underworld. Thanatos and Hypnos, who had worked hard all this time, along with Goddess Styx who helped with Underworld tasks, and various other gods all entered the Underworld fortress to eat nectar and ambrosia.
In one corner of the banquet hall, a few souls were working hard playing lyres made by humans, while servants were busy carrying drinks and food. I sat at the head seat, sipping nectar and internally cursing Zeus.
Ting. Tinkle~
"Gulp gulp. Phew... Now we can rest a bit."
"Fortunately, our stories have spread widely among humans, making it easier for avatars to bring souls."
"That's right, these days most dead humans resign themselves when they see my wings."
Did you know? Nectar, the drink of the gods, doesn't have just one flavor. When you put it in your mouth, it gives a refreshing, smooth, and cool sensation with a simultaneous sweet taste.
"Whew..! The nectar tastes even better today."
Is that why the usually nagging Goddess Styx is drinking like crazy...?
Ambrosia, the food of the gods, is even more unique. It tastes like whatever the eater most wants to eat at that moment. In my case, it tasted like the pork belly I used to eat in my past life. Hmm, now that I'm tired of pork belly, it tastes like sweet chocolate chip cookies.
"Hades. Do humans offer you many sacrifices too?"
Goddess Styx, drinking nectar next to me, brought up the topic of humans.
I heard that human nations have now formed on earth. The stories of the Olympian gods have spread widely, and there are humans who occasionally call my name when offering sacrifices.
Shall we listen to what humans are saying now? I 'tuned in' for a moment.
[Hades! Lord Hades, why did you take our mother, why!]
[God of abundance, Pluto! Accept these beasts and bestow upon me a strand of your blessing!]
[Lord Hades... please... please don't take me...]
[The next time you open your eyes, Hades will be standing before you! Die!]
Hmm. As expected, the surface world is a mess. I remembered the face of a devoted follower who offered me dozens of cattle he had raised, then closed my ears again.
My other name is Pluto, the one who makes abundant. I am the god of wealth. There are humans who worship me as the god of abundance, perhaps due to the human notion that the Underworld is a wealthy place.
Well, the Underworld is overflowing with precious gems and minerals that are valuable to humans. Plus, I have this Horn of Plenty (Cornucopia), so I do hold the divine status of wealth.
If you put your hand into this large horn, you can endlessly draw out as much food and wealth as the owner desires. It's a great item perfectly suited for the god of abundance, but what's the point... I'm not human, so it doesn't mean much to me.
"Hadessss..."
Please stop clinging to me. Oh Goddess Styx, you've had too much nectar.
"Lord of the Underworld... a report..."
A soul standing guard with a spear quietly approached me and whispered. It's the soul of a man who lived for about 30 years, and if souls refuse to be reincarnated from the Underworld and wish to stay here, they are assigned roles like this.
I thought very few souls would choose the Underworld, but perhaps because they forget their memories of the living world as they pass through the River Lethe, there were more than expected. Of course, we can't grant everyone's wishes as the balance of reincarnation must be maintained.
For now, I pushed away Goddess Styx, who was demonstrating the power of the great nectar that can intoxicate even gods, and listened to the soul's words.
"Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, has visited the Underworld now. She says she's here to deliver a message from a high-ranking deity..."
As soon as the ghost soldier delivered this message, the modest celebration paused for a moment. Everyone, including Goddess Styx who seemed to have sobered up completely, Thanatos and Hypnos putting down their ambrosia, all focused on me with sharp expressions.
"Surely not... we've just started to rest..."
"It can't be...? Oh, Lord Zeus."
The doors of the banquet hall opened, and soon a goddess with beautiful silver-blue hair and white wings entered. She was emitting a soft rainbow-colored aura from her body.
Normally, some might have been captivated by the beautiful goddess's figure that even Zeus would covet, but here, only tension filled the air.
"I am Iris. Greetings, Lord of the Underworld. It has been long since we met."
Iris, the Goddess of Rainbow, is the messenger who conveys the will of Zeus and Hera. However, since she mainly delivers Hera's messages, there's still hope.
"Lord Zeus has decided to punish corrupt humans by causing a great flood."
So suddenly...?
Punish corrupt humans > Great flood > Most humans die > Underworld population surge > Death from overwork.
The thought process quickly runs through the minds of the gods seated here. The conclusion they reach with their superior intellects is that from now on, work will overflow beyond measure.
"Hypnos, could you put me to sleep?"
"...I swear by the River Styx, I'll make sure you don't get a wink of sleep until the great flood is over."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to help with the work this time, Hades. Well then, I'll be going..."
"Oh Lord Zeus, please."
Tartarus... I guess I'll have to open it?
I seriously considered a coup.