Chapter 2 : Story of the Underworld 1

 

The war with the Titan gods, which would later be named the Titanomachy, ended with our victory.

 

Now, the hegemony of the world had passed to us.

 

“Hecatoncheires brothers! Just how many of those Titan scum did you three take down?”

 

“And what about this trident, thanks to the Cyclopes who crafted such an extraordinary weapon that causes earthquakes!”

 

“No, this is just a small repayment for Zeus freeing us.”

 

The atmosphere was very harmonious.

 

The difficult war was over, and it was time to collect the spoils, so it was only natural.

 

First, we decided who would govern the sea, the underworld, and the sky.

 

Hera, Demeter, and Hestia quietly stepped back after assessing the situation.

 

“I’m not interested.”

 

“Me neither.”

 

“Let the men decide among themselves.”

 

Was it because I, Poseidon, and Zeus were the strongest among us?

 

Or perhaps they were just burdened by it or lacked ambition.

 

“Then… we should decide where each of us will rule…”

 

“Let’s draw lots to be fair. Honestly, who wouldn’t want the sky?” Poseidon said, and Zeus stroked his beard, agreeing to leave it to luck.

 

Wait, what if I draw the sea or the sky?

 

Then the mythology I knew would be completely twisted…

 

“Haha! I should rule the sky, of course!”

 

“Damn. I got the sea. But at least it’s not the underworld…”

 

I quietly looked at the last remaining lot handed to me.

 

When did they all draw? This wasn’t rigged, right?

 

Poseidon and Zeus looked at me with relieved expressions.

 

Well, who would want to live in the dark underworld?

 

The two ambitious younger brothers who aspired to be kings of the gods would rather stage a rebellion than live in the underworld.

 

Yeah, maybe it’s better if I go to the underworld.

 

* * *

 

When shall I return, when shall I return~

 

Humming a tune, I headed to a suitable spot to descend to the underworld.

 

Well, since I’m the king of the underworld, I had to manage it.

 

A plain with chirping birds and blooming flowers.

 

Thud.

 

I stomped my foot with determination.

 

Sssaaah-

 

Black energy spread across the ground, creating a downward path before me.

 

The grass and trees withered, and the surrounding life hurriedly fled.

 

Twisting the transparent helmet, Kunee, in one hand, I looked at the newly formed passage.

 

It was obviously ominous and endlessly covered in darkness.

 

I kept descending. And descending.

 

How far had I descended?

 

Even the occasional insects were no longer visible.

 

After passing through several underground caves, a vast space finally appeared.

 

It was a place where nothing should be visible, given the absence of sunlight, yet there were eerie mountains, a darkened sky, and a vast river in sight.

 

This was the first river surrounding the underworld, the River of Woe, Acheron.

 

The river, which would be called the River of Woe by humans in the distant future, looked like a clear, ordinary river.

 

However, no creatures lived in the river, and the nearby mountains were also devoid of any signs of life.

 

After crossing the Acheron River, another river appeared.

 

As I gazed at my reflection on the water’s surface, memories of the past flashed by.

 

The River of Lamentation, Cocytus.

 

Even I, a god, felt as if I had dipped my foot in ice-cold water, and saw my past self fighting in the Titan war.

 

Me, fighting back-to-back with Zeus, stabbing a tall Titan god in the abdomen with a sword while wearing Kunee…

 

I lifted my head and continued walking.

 

The next river was Pyriphlegethon, full of flames.

 

The river, which should have been filled with water, was ablaze.

 

It had the power to purify souls by burning them, but it didn’t harm me.

 

Human souls would be thoroughly purified after passing through this place.

 

Next was the River Lethe, the river of forgetfulness.

 

Human souls that drank from this river would lose their memories.

 

For me, a god, it was just bitter water. I actually tried it out of curiosity.

 

My new home, the underworld, wasn’t far off now.

 

Just when walking was starting to get tedious, the final river before reaching the underworld came into view.

 

As I approached the river, the water naturally formed into the shape of a beautiful goddess.

 

“Welcome, Hades. I’ve been waiting for you.”

 

Her name was Styx.

 

A goddess born between the Titan gods Oceanus and Tethys, she personified the river that encircles the underworld nine times, marking the boundary between the underworld and the living world. She was the first to aid us in the war against the Titans and was granted a special privilege.

 

Zeus strongly insisted on this, and we all agreed.

 

“I swear by the River Styx, you look beautiful today, Styx.”

 

“Oh… please, don’t compliment me so suddenly…”

 

A vow made on the River Styx must be kept by any god.

 

If broken, one must spend the first year in a coma and the following nine years barred from participating in the council of gods.

 

Essentially, it would be impossible to fulfill their duties as a god.

 

However, because the goddess Styx was beautiful, I did not break my vow.

 

With black hair cascading to her waist and a voluptuous figure, her embarrassed and twisting posture was endearing.

 

Honestly, I just gave her a compliment since we would be seeing each other often in the underworld.

 

“Sigh… and please, stop making vows on me. Especially for trivial matters like this!”

 

Placing one hand on her waist and tapping my forehead with her finger, Styx seemed to be giving a serious admonishment, but it looked more like a cute student grumbling than a display of dignity.

 

Ah, I can’t help it. Seeing the goddess Styx makes me want to tease her.

 

I swear by the River Styx…

 

“There! You’re doing it again, stop! Stop it!”

 

That was just a joke.

 

“Sigh… as the god of the underworld, you should maintain dignity…”

 

I became quite close to the goddess Styx during the war.

 

The type of power we exuded was similarly dark and somber, creating a synergy when we fought together.

 

When she heard I drew the underworld, she was glad that a friendly god became her neighbor.

 

“…You understand? As one of the three great gods who now hold the world’s hegemony…”

 

Her most notable trait was her nagging.

 

* * *

 

After being held up by the goddess of nagging, Styx, I finally arrived at my domain in the underworld.

 

With a bit of anticipation, I checked the land where I would now reside…

 

It was desolate.

 

There was nothing.

 

Starting from scratch, how could this be…

 

Hades, who had defeated countless Titans and become the ruler of the underworld, lost consciousness.

 

Why do you give me such trials… daughters of the night goddess Nyx, goddesses of fate.

 

Life… no, god-life… even as a god, I had to pioneer a wasteland?

 

But there was no choice. It had to be done.

 

The distant Tartarus, separated from the underworld, was not my concern.

 

It was a prison for the defeated Titans from the war.

 

Poseidon personally made its bronze doors, surrounded by bronze walls, ensuring no one could escape.

 

It was a fitting maximum-security prison, and the night goddess Nyx also resided there.

 

At the misty entrance of Tartarus, the three Hecatoncheires brothers stood guard.

 

They volunteered to ensure no one escaped Tartarus, likely due to their deep-seated grudge against their father Cronus, who had not freed them.

 

What I had to create now was a place for the souls coming to the underworld to reside and my own home.

 

The underworld was my domain, responding to my divine power since I drew the lot to govern it.

 

Rumble…

 

In the underworld, I, Hades, was the absolute ruler.

 

As my will arose naturally, the entire landscape around me began to transform.

 

Since I am the king of the underworld, I should have some grandeur, right? With plenty of minerals and gems underground, there’s no shortage of materials.

 

Zeus is building a divine palace on Mount Olympus in the sky, so I should also build something large…

 

* * *

 

Styx, the owner of the largest river encircling the underworld, felt the fierce vibrations in the underworld and emerged from the river.

 

The once desolate and bleak world was transforming according to the will of the underworld’s king.

 

Rumble…

 

The vast expanse of the underworld, whose end could not be seen, trembled as it celebrated its new master.

 

The cycle of death and life, the basic foundations of the world, became more robust, and the principles were deeply engraved in the universe.

 

This was clear evidence that the authority of the once playful god who made vows in her name had now reached the level of a great deity.

 

‘Indeed, a god who holds the world’s hegemony is different.’

 

Zeus, the god of lightning and sky in the heavens, Poseidon, the god of earthquakes and water in the sea.

 

And Hades, the god of the underworld and wealth in this realm.

 

Styx’s first encounter with Hades was during the Titan war.

 

The god, wielding a pitch-black sword in one hand and drenched in blood on the battlefield, now ruled the underworld.

 

Perched on the riverbank, she observed the rapidly changing underworld with her chin propped on her hand.

 

Witnessing a kingdom being created in this usually boring underworld

 

was not a common sight.