The Tale of Otus and Ephialtes

Chapter 1

The Summoning of Iris

Not long after I sent the messenger, Iris arrived.

"What brings you to summon me, Lord Hades?"

"Open the passage to Olympus."

"...Understood."

From Iris's fingertips, a spectrum of seven colors flowed, creating a beautiful rainbow that connected the realms. It's always convenient to call Iris when traveling long distances.

Shaaa—

Crossing the passage, the space twisted, revealing the cloud-filled Olympus. Now, where is Zeus?

"Ah, Uncle Hades?"

"Apollo."

My nephew, Apollo, with his radiant golden hair and eyes shining like sunlight, was nearby. He was carrying a lyre as usual.

"What brings you to Olympus today?"

"That's not your concern. Where is Zeus?"

"Oh, Father should be at the banquet hall."

A banquet, of course. I dispatched Thanatos for a so-called grave sinner, only to find out it was all a false alarm, and Zeus is at a banquet, not even considering the chaos caused by his actions.

Entering the banquet hall, I saw various gods indulging in nectar and ambrosia, typical of these gatherings.

"Oh...? Lord Hades?"

"You don't seem to be in a good mood today..."

"Why have you come to Olympus after so long?"

And there, seated comfortably on a golden throne, was the king of the gods.

"Thanatos was sleeping? He's not the kind of god to do that. You must have been mistaken..."

"It's true, Father! He was lying there so comfortably..."

Zeus, looking baffled as he listened to Ares's report, was filled with disbelief.

Step, step.

Walking straight to Zeus, he looked surprised to see me.

"Oh? Brother Hades, what brings you to Olympus?"

"Ares told the truth."

"What? Then Thanatos really disobeyed my orders...!"

A vein bulged on Zeus's forehead, but I wasn't finished yet.

"And about the human you ordered Thanatos to bring to the underworld."

"You mean Sisyphus?"

"What exactly did he do to warrant the king of the gods personally ordering Thanatos to take him?"

"Ah... Haha..."

Zeus's face turned awkward. Of course, you know we have the goddess of memory, Mnemosyne, in the underworld.

"Hades is right, what exactly did Sisyphus do to deserve such punishment?"

Hera, who had been enjoying ambrosia, approached. Her face was full of curiosity, clearly unaware of the full situation.

"You deserve to know the truth, Hera. The thing is, Zeus..."

"Ah! Ahem! Brother, wait a moment!"

"Shush! You be quiet! So, what did Zeus do, Hades?"

Zeus tried to divert the conversation, but Hera sensed something was amiss and silenced him.

"Well, Hera, you know the river god Asopus, right?"

"I've heard of him."

"Zeus raped his daughter, and Sisyphus informed Asopus of the crime."

"...?!"

Zeus tried to sneak away but was grabbed by Hera.

"So, in short, Zeus tried to kill the man who revealed his crime...?"

"Exactly."

Hera glared at Zeus, then turned back to me.

"You aren't lying, right?"

"I confirmed it with the help of Mnemosyne. I swear on the River Styx that this is the truth."

"Zeus!!!"

Hera's face twisted into a demonic expression. As the goddess of marriage and family, such acts of infidelity and rape were abominations to her.

"Ahem!"

"You thought I would just let you get away with raping another goddess?!"

"And using Thanatos to punish the human who exposed your crime?"

Zeus was at a loss for words, sweat pouring from his brow.

"Oh, brother, it's just that Thanatos... my authority as the king of gods..."

"Authority? What authority does the god of rape and infidelity have?"

Zeus's face turned even paler. Hera's constant berating didn't help either.

"You always do this. Whether it's Leto, Europa, or any pretty mortal woman, you can't help yourself. Today you even flirted with Iris several times! Now you rape the river god's daughter and try to kill the man who exposed you? If even one thing I say is wrong, go ahead, refute it..."

"I... I was wrong."

So you admit your mistake.

"Then you owe me compensation."

"Com... Compensation?"

"Because of you, the underworld's work has been overloaded. I'll be taking some of the Olympian gods to help out for a while."

Zeus looked around nervously, then spoke reluctantly.

"Of course. Take whoever you need, Brother..."

"And stop using the busy gods for your whims, especially for such pointless tasks..."

If he had refused, I was considering using my bident on a certain part of his anatomy. But he is still the king of the gods, and Hera is already giving him an earful, so I'll let it go for now.

"Zeus! I am not finished with you!"

"This incident..."

The other reason I came to Olympus was to bring a few gods to the underworld. Instead of arguing further with Zeus, I needed to return and manage my domain.

Who should I take to help with the work? Athena, who has experience in the underworld? Or perhaps Ares, who managed souls well?

I glanced around. Ares, who had been listening, frantically waved his hands.

"Huff...! Uncle Hades, Athena would be a better choice than me!"

"You reported Thanatos's misconduct, so I'll spare you."

Leaving Zeus, who was still being scolded by Hera, I scanned the banquet hall. Was there a suitable god for the underworld here?

* * *

Gods have senses far superior to humans. Conversations held at a distance are easily heard unless blocked by divine power. So...

"Zeus has assaulted someone again."

"Father..."

"This time, it's the daughter of Asopus..."

Zeus's reputation sank even lower. Virgin goddesses sighed, and married goddesses shuddered.

"Should I swear an oath to the River Styx for my virginity?"

"Perhaps becoming like Athena would be better..."

"Is it true that Zeus has the domains of rape and infidelity?"

Among them, one goddess reacted differently.

"Oh my, Zeus hasn't come to me yet..."

With beauty seemingly personified, it was Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love. She smiled, causing Ares's eyes to glaze over. He would likely get into trouble with Hephaestus soon... Tsk tsk.

Aphrodite walked gracefully on the clouds and approached me. Not this troublemaker again.

"Hades, you came to Olympus because you missed me, didn't you?"

"Go to your husband."

A slight frown creased her perfect forehead, but even that seemed beautiful as she smiled at me.

"How long will you keep resisting..."

"Aphrodite, don't trouble Hades too much."

"Oh? Hestia?"

Hestia, who had been tending the hearth in the corner, approached.

"Hestia, didn't you swear to keep your virginity by the River Styx?"

"...? What's that got to do with this?"

"There's only one reason you'd want to stop free love between men and women."

Aphrodite circled behind the relatively short Hestia and whispered. Is that sly look a trait of the goddess of love?

"Hah! Hades and I are not like that!"

"Oh, you can tell me. For love advice, the goddess of love is here~"

Wait, maybe Aphrodite's charm could be useful for managing souls in the underworld?

* * *

"Aphrodite."

"Yes~? Speak, Hades."

"Would you consider coming to the underworld for a while?"

Aphrodite's face lit up with a dazzling smile.

"Oh~ So that's your preference. You should have told me earlier. Spending time in a quiet, secluded place isn’t bad."

"So, will you come?"

"Of course!"

Her enchanting smile made my head throb, but I smiled back. If she could be this effective on me, the souls in the underworld would be utterly captivated.

"As the goddess of beauty and love, you don't have much to do in Olympus, right?"

"Indeed! I can spend many hot nights... I mean, days and nights with you."

Hestia, shaking with determination, misinterpreted the situation.

"Hades! You can't! You have Lethe and Styx..."

"They haven't even married Hades yet, so I can spend time with him first..."

"Hmm. Quality time, that’s a good term."

Having Aphrodite in the underworld would make everyone's work a bit more enjoyable. Especially for Charon and the minor gods, it would be a pleasant change.

Just as Aphrodite and I exchanged smiles of anticipation, a loud noise echoed from the outskirts of Olympus.

Boom! Boom!