Chapter 89: The Story of Tantalus - (1)

Zeus said he would only allow the marriage after the God of Blacksmiths finished receiving his punishment in the Underworld.

Thus, unfortunately, Hephaestus and Aglaea's wedding was postponed.

Hephaestus, dejected once again, returned to the Underworld,

and I was in the middle of warning Aphrodite.

"I'll say it again, think of it as creating a crack in Olympus every time you seduce a male god..."

"Yes... yes... I get it. You've already given me an unwanted marriage, so I'll try my best in my own way, okay?"

The Goddess of Beauty grumbled with a slightly sulky expression.

And Eros, standing next to his mother, fiddling with his bow.

The reason why Eros, who should be in the Underworld, is here...

is because I thought he had reflected enough and switched him with Hephaestus.

"I promise I won't shoot arrows recklessly anymore..."

"I can't force the God of Love not to spread love, but still, refrain from shooting randomly into the air."

Now he'll probably practice archery on designated targets.

If he shoots arrows recklessly into the air just one more time...

"Eek!"

Eros flew behind Aphrodite to hide.

If he really does it one more time, should I spank him?

The Goddess of Beauty and Love, stroking Eros's head who was hiding behind her, looked at me and smiled.

It wasn't her usual seductive and coquettish smile, this was...

"Thank you sincerely for persuading Zeus, Hades."

"...I just felt sorry that the Goddess of Love couldn't love freely."

A gaze and attitude that seemed to come from a sincere heart.

Did she really hate Hephaestus that much? Well, it's understandable since it was a forced marriage...

I made up an excuse and told her that Hera was a great help in this matter before turning my back.

Now I should go down from Olympus...

"Brother Hades."

"Zeus. Do you have business with me?"

As I was about to return to the Underworld, Zeus called out to me.

Judging by his demeanor, is he going to ask me to come to another dinner, feast, or maybe Hephaestus's wedding?

"There's a human who wants to invite us gods to a grand feast. Would you like to come along, brother?"

"Wouldn't my presence just ruin the atmosphere at such a feast?"

"The one who wants to entertain us is my son. He's also the king of Lydia. He's a very admirable human in his attitude of serving the gods, so I'd like him to at least get to know you."

Ah, so it's Zeus's son.

If that's the case, I understand Zeus's desire to invite me to the feast.

He wants his son, who diligently serves the gods, to receive some consideration in the Underworld after death.

If he's Zeus's son, he's my nephew too.

Since he's the king of Lydia, the feast shouldn't be boring... Then maybe I'll drop by for a moment.

"It's difficult to provide a good place in the afterlife just for being respectful to the gods... but I'll attend."

"Hmm. Good thinking. You might even find my son quite lovable when you meet him?"

Suddenly, Zeus's face hardened and he looked at me with serious eyes.

"That's the superficial reason for inviting you, but..."

There's a different true intention?

***

A total of seven gods were going to meet the King of Lydia and Zeus's son.

Me, Zeus, Hermes and Dionysus, Demeter and Poseidon, and Hera.

I heard that all 12 Olympian gods were invited, but...

Athena was busy rebuilding her temple that was destroyed by the Chimera last time,

Hephaestus was in the Underworld, and Aphrodite and Ares didn't come because they were busy making love.

The twins Apollo and Artemis... they must be hunting somewhere.

We flew on clouds for a while and arrived at a palace in the mortal world.

With splendid clothes decorated with gold thread and a crown, is that Zeus's son and the king of Lydia?

"It's a great honor that such great beings have come in person!"

"Tantalus, can we look forward to today's feast?"

"Of course, Lord Zeus. I will present the finest cuisine to the Olympian gods!"

The nephew named Tantalus greets each of the gods.

Indeed, as Zeus said, his behavior is quite remarkable.

"Oh, praise the great Queen of Gods. Thanks to Lady Hera, I'm always on good terms with Dione."

"Hmm..."

For Hera to end with just a displeased glance at Zeus's illegitimate child,

He must indeed have Zeus's deep affection.

"Master of the Sea, the development of maritime trade in our Lydia is all thanks to Lord Poseidon's grace."

"I see."

Next, Tantalus turned his gaze to me and spoke politely.

With his hands clasped, bowing at the waist and not making eye contact, he seemed quite accustomed to dealing with gods.

"Um... May I ask which god you are?"

"Pluto."

"...! It's an honor to meet the Father of the Dead, Lord Pluto."

He strings together various flattering words.

About how the people of Lydia are living abundantly thanks to the blessing of wealth I've bestowed,

and how mint, my symbol, has spread widely in Lydia...

After finishing his praise at just the right level without being excessive, he bowed and guided us.

"Please follow me this way. The food suitable for gods is being prepared, so please wait a moment!"

"Hmm. Shall we go in?"

So we followed Zeus, who led the way, into the palace of Lydia.

Servants and maids guided us to a moderately spacious room.

"We'll be waiting outside the room. If you call for us anytime..."

Soon, the other servants left, leaving the gods alone,

and I briefly recalled Zeus's words.

"He treated the gods with respect and had good manners, so I brought him to Olympus and let him taste ambrosia and nectar... but then he dared to take some of the gods' food?"

"...Tantalus did?"

"Yes. The reason he invited us to this feast might be to apologize for that. The reason he specifically invited you too is..."

Well, that's obvious, isn't it?

"Because he's your son, you want me to lessen his punishment in the Underworld? For someone who dared to steal ambrosia and nectar? Aren't you usually merciless in such matters, Zeus?"

"Still, he's served the gods well so far... and his wife is also the daughter of the Titan Atlas, so I'll decide on his fate after seeing how he treats us this time. If he reveals everything, kneels, and sincerely apologizes, I might forgive him with a moderate punishment, but if not..."

He married the daughter of that powerful Atlas...

Atlas was a Titan with great strength who resisted us until the end during the Titanomachy.

Now he's being punished by eternally holding up the celestial sphere. The reason that giant is staying quiet is... because we didn't punish his beloved daughters and children.

Zeus is now worried that if he punishes Tantalus unnecessarily, it might lead to Atlas's rebellion through his daughter, Tantalus's wife.

With Gaia's threat not over yet, there's no need to risk Atlas throwing down the celestial sphere he's supporting and fighting us.

Just once, stealing a little ambrosia and nectar isn't enough reason to severely punish Atlas's son-in-law. Moreover, since he's Zeus's own son, there must be some paternal affection.

Unless he commits a more certain disrespect, like insulting all three of the main gods...

After waiting for a while, Tantalus came back in.

He had servants bring in a large bowl of stew and bowed to us.

"Sorry for the wait, oh gods. The stew with rare meat is now ready, please enjoy to your heart's content."

It seemed true, as a good aroma wafted from the stew.

Various herbs and spices were well blended in the stew, giving it a fine color.

But...

"You want us to eat this?"

"......"

The meat in that stew is human flesh?

***

There was no god present who didn't notice the human flesh in the stew.

Even if a lesser god came, they would notice something strange and not eat it, let alone the gods here who are of the highest divine rank.

Someone who serves human flesh while claiming to entertain the gods can't be a normal human.

I looked at Dionysus with suspicion, and he had an expressionless face, on the verge of his eyes rolling back.

The expression the God of Madness shows just before having a fit.

So it's not because of Dionysus's madness either...

The other gods also didn't touch the stew and were trying to contain their anger.

Because Zeus, the King of Gods, closed his eyes as soon as he saw the stew.

As no one tried to eat the food and everyone gave Tantalus a cold look, he opened his mouth nonchalantly.

I've never seen a human this insane in my thousands, tens of thousands of years as a god.

"Oh gods, why aren't you eat-"

"You fool! Tantalus! Have you truly gone mad?!"

Flash- Rumble! Boom!!!

Cutting off Tantalus's words that seemed almost mocking, Zeus roared in full anger.

His fury caused lightning to strike from the sky, blowing away the entire palace.

Rumble... Crash.

The massive palace became ruins in an instant, and numerous humans groaned under the debris.

Judging by the number of dead souls visible, many were caught in the aftermath.

"Ugh..."

"What's happening... G-god?!"

"Your Majesty...?!"

While humans were groaning in pain all around, Zeus paid no attention and levitated the stew in the air.

Pieces of human flesh flew around and gathered, and he temporarily entrusted them to Demeter.

It seems he intends to resurrect the human who became meat later.

This poor human who was killed by his father, turned into food, and almost eaten by his grandfather... I should revive him after erasing only his memories of the Underworld.

No matter how strict the laws of the Underworld are, this time should be an exception.

Soon, Zeus, forcibly suppressing his anger, made a gesture...

Tantalus, covered in blood and sprawled on the ground, was dragged over as if caught by something, clutching his neck and struggling.

"Ack... ack!"

"You dare to make food out of a human and try to feed it to us? Who was the dead human and why did you do this?"

"Ack..."

"Answer me."

Lightning flashed in Zeus's eyes, emitting a strong pressure.

Before a main god's anger, a weak mortal can only speak the truth.

And the words that came out of his mouth were beyond imagination.

"To see if... the gods... were wise... that was my son..."

To test if the gods were wise...

He killed his own son and served him as food?