The Stories of the Dead

The Underworld, the final resting place for souls. It is a realm feared by mortals, where many gods reside. Not only Hades, the ruler of the Underworld, but also Thanatos, the god of death; Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness; Styx, the goddess of oaths; Hypnos, the god of sleep; and Morpheus, the god of dreams.

But they are not the only ones in the Underworld.

For instance...

"Ferry fee." "Ugh... What...?"

Though he is a high-ranking god, the son of Erebus, the god of darkness, and Nyx, the goddess of night...

"No fee? Then you can't cross the river." "Uh... Oh? Something is in my mouth..." "Open your mouth. I'll take it myself."

The ferryman of the Acheron River, Charon, who is subjected to ceaseless, strenuous labor...

"Alright, one obolus (1/6 of a drachma) is correct. But again, just a single coin, tsk."

Charon, with his white hair, perpetually tired face, and the appearance of an old sailor, may very well be the true laborer of the Underworld, bearing a workload rivaling even that of Hades or Thanatos.

When someone dies in the mortal realm, they first meet Thanatos, who drags their soul to the entrance of the Underworld. There, they encounter the first river of the Underworld, the Acheron. Along the quiet, broad riverbank, they wait until an old man calls for them, rowing his boat.

"I can't believe I'm dead... Uh... What are those?" "You know what I'm asking. If you don't pay the fare, you can't cross the river."

Charon, the ferryman of the Acheron River, will not ferry the dead souls across unless they pay him a coin (one obolus). Thus, the riverbanks are always full of souls who wander and weep endlessly.

Charon's story has spread even to the mortal realm. Hence, when someone dies, their family typically places a coin in their mouth to pay for the ferry ride.

But souls who died away from home and were eaten by animals, those who died in war and whose bodies were never recovered, or those whose bodies were completely obliterated as punishment from the gods, these souls could find no peace even in death.

Because the dead gather at the Acheron River every day, one might think Charon would be incredibly wealthy...

Whoosh - Plop.

Charon, however, is bound by the law of the Acheron River, which dictates that the first coin he receives must be thrown into the river. Only the second coin onwards can he keep. Thus, despite his ceaseless labor, Charon remains perpetually poor.

"Sigh... I work to death, yet my pockets are always empty."

In Hades' previous life, this could be likened to the exploitative labor practices, almost akin to being an unpaid slave.

"We're here. Get off the boat."

"Sob... Yes..." "Mother... I'm sorry." "Damn... I should have dodged that knife..."

In no time at all, the souls aboard Charon's boat reached the other side. Charon then rowed back across, ready for the next batch of souls.

After crossing the Acheron, the souls encounter the River Cocytus, the river of wailing.

"Ugh..." "Mother... Waaaaah!" "It's so cold..."

This river reflects the past lives of the souls, causing them to sink into sorrow. Regretful memories, moments of love, cherished memories—all of these are stirred up as they face their current state of death.

Somberly, the souls cross the River Cocytus and come upon the River Phlegethon, the river of fire.

"What is this? The river is burning?" "Flames are everywhere..." "But it's not hot?"

In the mortal world, fire is hot. The souls hesitated at first but soon realized that the heat wasn't there.

"Really, it's not hot?" "Yeah, maybe because we're already dead."

The souls' bodies caught fire but felt no heat. Instead, they felt as though old grime was being washed away, leaving them refreshed as they crossed the river.

After being purified in the River Phlegethon, they encounter the River Lethe, the river of forgetfulness.

"Go over there..."

The beautiful silver-haired goddess Lethe often appeared by the river to guide the souls, pointing them towards the other side of the river.

"How much further... Ah... Oh..." "This river is no different... Eh..."

The souls did not suffocate, but the water of forgetfulness that naturally entered their mouths erased their memories of the mortal world. Occasionally, souls with intense grudges retained their memories, but this was not the norm.

Following their instincts, the souls finally reached the last river before entering the Underworld. The River Styx, a vast and winding river that encircled the Underworld nine times.

Sometimes the goddess Styx herself would guide the souls, but today her attendants hurried them along.

Crossing the river and walking a little further, the souls saw the grand citadel of Hades.

"Gasp..." "Uh... Uh...! There..."

The vast fortress of Hades stretched across the Underworld, its imposing black walls visible even from a distance, intimidating the souls.

Walking down the wide avenue leading from the River Styx to the fortress, they arrived at the enormous gates guarded by the three-headed beast, Cerberus.

"Grrrr..." "Argrrr..."

Drooling poison from its sharp fangs, Cerberus, born of the storm god Typhon and empowered by Hades, instilled fear in the souls.

However, upon seeing the approaching souls, Cerberus stepped aside, uninterested. The loyal guardian of Hades devoured only those souls attempting to escape the Underworld.

Cautiously, the souls passed through the massive gates Cerberus guarded and were guided somewhere by the Underworld's attendants.

"Follow me, humans. There are still souls awaiting judgment, so wait here for now." "And most of you will live in the Underworld, so listen up..." "You must have forgotten the mortal world after crossing the River Lethe? Let me tell you about the gods again."

Moving to a building or plaza-like area, the souls listened to the explanations. With their memories of the mortal world gone, new knowledge filled their minds, and they began to understand their situation.

"Judgment...?" "Was I a good person in the mortal world?" "I'm nervous..."

The attendant approached the souls who were absorbing this new knowledge.

"Now it's your turn. From here to there, follow me."

One by one, the souls rose and followed the attendant, moving towards the place where Hades would render judgment.

Gathered in a vast open space, hundreds of souls saw a black-haired, black-eyed god standing before them.

Holding a scroll and looking very tired, the god was none other than Hades, the ruler of the Underworld. He shuffled through piles of documents, receiving reports from the attendants.

Waving his hand lazily, a black wind swept through the area, causing the souls to stagger. A detached voice echoed among them.

"There are no souls destined for Tartarus or Elysium, so next..."

"You, move over here." "Now, you will move to the judges."

Once Hades' brief sorting process was completed, the souls would be judged by the three judges of the Underworld: Minos and his brothers.

The Minos brothers scrutinized the crimes committed by the souls during their lives, determining appropriate punishments. Sometimes, they would send difficult cases to Hades for a final decision.

"You murdered three neighbors and stole their possessions..." "Then, a sentence of labor on the outskirts of the Underworld and repairing the citadel." "Next soul, the old man over there?"

Minos, a son of Zeus and Europa, had been the king of Crete in life but became one of the judges of the Underworld after death. Known for their fair judgments, the Minos brothers were trusted by Hades to handle the souls.

Those who served their sentences or were found to have little to no guilt by the judges would live within Hades' citadel.

The landscape of the Underworld was not so different from the mortal realm.

The only real differences were that the souls were semi-transparent and did not need to eat. Laws, order, jobs, and regulations existed even here.

In the vast expanse of the Underworld, where souls who had not yet reincarnated lived, conversations flowed among the dead.

"Will I be reincarnated soon?" "I'm planning to stay here. I want to become an attendant." "Today, Lady Lethe was so beautiful..." "Watch your mouth; she's the lady of the Underworld." "Wasn't that Lady Styx?"

Souls who had cleansed their sins prepared for reincarnation in the order they had arrived. If a soul refused reincarnation and wished to stay in the Underworld, they could do so, considering their circumstances.

Those who chose to stay were usually assigned jobs by the attendants or minor gods.

Patrolling guards, attendants or maids for gods like Hades or Hypnos, maintaining the vast citadel, or building homes and spaces for souls.

"This place is covered in dust... Time for some cleaning." "There's a hole in the citadel wall! We need to fix it immediately." "I heard Hades' maid was reincarnated?" "Really? They’ll be recruiting soon. Should I apply?"

The souls adapted to the dim Underworld, seeing well even without light. Although Hestia's hearths scattered throughout provided warmth and comfort, the dead had little need for light.

As such, they became more accustomed to night than day, to darkness over light.

This is the everyday life of the souls in the Underworld. A part of the grand cycle of life and death.

But what if this cycle were disrupted?

That would truly be a catastrophe.