Chapter 7
"Lord Hades, the souls under my command are complaining of fatigue."
"Even if it's Lord Zeus, to not listen to the Underworld's opinion..."
"Do the gods in the clouds not care at all about the Underworld?"
As the Underworld's banquet hall suddenly turned into a place denouncing Olympus's decision, the beautiful goddess who governs rainbows grew pale.
I looked around at the gods present.
The lesser gods who guide souls across the River Styx and manage the Underworld, Thanatos the god of death who works tirelessly day and night collecting countless souls. Hypnos, Thanatos's twin brother and god of sleep, who helps with soul harvesting by inducing deep sleep at his brother's request.
"Isn't death from the great flood an inevitable, fated death, Moros?"
"What are you saying? It's likely to be punishment until most humans perish, so it's your responsibility, Keres."
Moros and Keres, other death gods who are also children of Nyx like Thanatos.
"What if so many souls suddenly flood in that the river nearly dries up?"
Lethe, goddess of forgetfulness and granddaughter of Nyx, the goddess of night. The River Lethe is named after her.
"To think that being the first to rush in during the war with the Titans results in such mistreatment... Lord Zeus is going too far."
And finally, Goddess Styx, who volunteered to help with the Underworld's overwhelming work. She looks at me with teary eyes, having taken on unfamiliar paperwork.
While I am clearly the king of the Underworld, I cannot ignore their efforts and hardships.
As I closed my eyes and quietly raised one hand, everyone fell silent. In the suffocating silence, I organized my thoughts to convey to the frozen Iris.
"Iris, goddess of the rainbow."
"I await your command, Lord Hades."
I looked down at Iris, who knelt on one knee, intimidated by my low, resonating voice.
"Why didn't Olympus inform us about the great flood in advance?"
"That's... because human wickedness worsened so rapidly that there wasn't time to give prior notice..."
No, Zeus sent Pandora's box from the start to create an excuse to wipe out humans. Since Pandora's box was opened, evil things have spread on earth, and the number of souls coming to the Underworld has rapidly increased.
That petty Zeus must have planned to punish humans as retribution for Prometheus stealing and sharing fire… And he deliberately created Pandora as an excuse to make humans commit evil acts.
***
Managing the souls coming to the Underworld is our natural responsibility, so we have no complaints about the increased workload due to the great flood. However, I'm displeased that Olympus ignored me and decided to wipe out humans.
Even if Zeus is the king of gods, should we in the Underworld receive such an important matter as a notification rather than a consultation?
“Go back to Zeus and tell him that the Underworld expresses deep regret at Olympus's decision.”
As I finished speaking, Iris's face froze.
"...!"
"Do you have anything else to convey, Goddess of Rainbow?"
"Nothing at all. I will deliver your message exactly as you said, lord of the Underworld..."
As I spoke, I must have gotten a bit irritated without realizing it, as the floor cracked from the release of power and an ominous divine energy emanated from my body. Feeling like I had taken out my anger on the messenger, I managed my expression and politely dismissed her.
Zeus, sensitive to his own power, will fully understand my intention.
Goddess Iris bowed deeply and left the banquet hall. Only then did the other gods who had paused the celebration start moving and begin preparing for the Underworld's saturation due to the great flood.
"We need additional places for souls to stay until life begins again after the great flood..."
"Thanatos, take it easy until the great flood comes. I'll help more with bringing souls."
"As expected, I can only rely on my brother. Then I'll leave it to you, Hypnos."
"Keres, let's get moving too."
"Moros, how about putting down that nectar before speaking?"
The most unpleasant fact was that Iris didn't consult with me, the king of the Underworld, about the great flood in advance. If a disaster like the great flood suddenly occurs without time to prepare, the Underworld's civil servants would feel like they've been struck by lightning from a clear sky.
If they had at least consulted with the Underworld in advance, we could have rotated the souls for work or at least given them time to prepare mentally by informing them beforehand.
Come to think of it, it's even more irritating. Last time when we fought the Gigantes, I went to Olympus myself to help.
***
This is the Olympian palace.
Zeus, overlooking the earth from his golden throne above the clouds, was listening to Iris's report. When Iris, quite a high-ranking goddess, returned to Olympus pale-faced, he felt puzzled but understood after hearing her subsequent report.
"And so, Lord Hades was extremely angry and expressed deep regret at Olympus's decision..."
"Oh no, I forgot about my brother...!"
Why hadn't he thought of Hades, who manages the souls of the dead? Seeing Iris even breaking out in a cold sweat, Zeus was pondering how to handle this situation.
It was understandable that Hades would feel ignored, as the decision to cause a great flood was made without consulting the Underworld.
If a powerless and insignificant god dared to disobey or complain about his decision, he could simply suppress them with his authority, but… If it's one of the Big Three who rules the Underworld, and moreover, one who resides near Tartarus where the Titans are imprisoned, he needed to think more carefully.
Although Zeus rules the sky and calls himself the king of gods, there were those who could check his power.
"Zeus! Have you run off after another goddess again?!"
His sister and wife, Hera, who just flew over and crossed her arms while fuming, was one such person.
"No, that's a misunderstanding. I may occasionally glance at other women, but truly, you're the only one worthy of being by my side..."
"Occasionally glance?! Grr... You were just trying to seduce Iris again, weren't you?"
Zeus's legitimate wife, Hera, governs the domains of marriage and family. No matter how much Zeus is the king of gods, he has to yield to her when it comes to affairs and infidelity.
"No! This time it's really a misunderstanding. About the great flood, to brother Hades in the Underworld..."
The King of Gods explained while breaking out in a cold sweat. However, Hera's brow furrowed more and more as she listened to the story.
"Is it because the so-called King of Gods is always thinking about how to seduce goddesses that he forgets the simple principle of listening to other gods' opinions?"
"Well... um. You're right, it was my mistake. How should I appease the Underworld..."
"Hmph. If it's so hard to make a decision, why don't you ask Metis's daughter?"
"Metis's daughter... Ah yes, Iris, bring Athena here."
Metis, Zeus's cousin and first wife, who gave Cronus an emetic to make him regurgitate the gods. Her marriage to Zeus resulted in the birth of Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
The prophecy that a son born between Metis and Zeus would threaten Zeus's throne was averted by the birth of their daughter, Athena.
Athena, true to her nature as the wise goddess of wisdom, reassured Zeus, who feared the prophecy would continue with a son she might bear.
She swore by the River Styx to maintain her virginity forever. Only then did Zeus stop all suspicion and came to love and cherish her greatly.
"Father, you called for me."
Not long after, a rainbow appeared before Zeus, and Iris and Athena walked out of it together. As always, Athena was armed with a golden helmet, armor, spear, and shield. Nevertheless, the beauty of the goddess with shining silver hair was not hidden.
Zeus posed a question to the noble and wise Ggoddess of Wisdom.
"...And so, I need your wisdom. If you have any good ideas, let me hear them."
After listening to Zeus's story, Athena thought for a moment before speaking.
"Father, how far are you willing to go to quell Uncle's anger?"
"It's difficult for me to judge, that's why I called you. Speak freely."
At Zeus's words, the armored Goddess of Wisdom carefully expressed her opinion. Hera and Iris also quietly watched her lips.
"This time, it would be better for you to go down to the Underworld yourself and apologize, Father."
"What?! Me, Zeus, in person?!"
Not sending a messenger god like Hermes or Iris? The King of Gods was taken aback but decided to continue listening to his beloved eldest daughter.
However, the Goddess of Wisdom said no more after that.
"Why do you say nothing more? My beloved daughter."
"I apologize. I was momentarily lost in thought about how humans' minor wickedness gradually worsened to the point where we must cause a great flood to destroy them..."
The humans' wickedness was deliberately induced by Zeus himself through Pandora's box. Their excessive misbehavior gave Zeus a justification to cause the great flood.
However, there was no need to say such things here and now. Athena, being the goddess of wisdom, is not so dull as to be lost in other thoughts before the chief god...
As such...
"Are you saying it's better to resolve issues with measures that might seem excessive before a major problem occurs? Is this what you want to say?"
Athena said nothing and bowed her head.
The impending great flood was certainly in line with Zeus's intentions, as humans had crossed the line and he had gained justification. However, what if Hades becomes discontented with him over this incident and someday raises the flag of rebellion?
From what Zeus had seen of his elder brother so far, he wasn't the type to become enraged over trivial matters and fight with him. So, hearing Iris's words about his anger, he must have protested to Olympus as the King of the Underworld.
Losing the goodwill of not just Hades but other Underworld gods would endanger his throne. Especially considering the importance of Tartarus near the Underworld.
"Are you still pondering, Zeus? You're not saying you have time to chase after affairs but no time to appease the Underworld, are you?"
Hera's words drove the final nail into the deeply contemplating Zeus.
"Very well. I will personally visit brother Hades and have a frank discussion with him."
Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I met my brother living in the Underworld, so I might as well take this opportunity to catch up.