Chaotic Tales of the Underworld - (1)

With Dionysus quietly heading to Naxos Island, Zeus and I began observing the situation below the clouds.

"This is Naxos Island? Artemis~!"

"I can't see anything."

Naxos was an uninhabited island, making it an ideal place for Gigantes to set a trap. Humans who worship us serve as our eyes.

"Gigantes, show yourselves!"

"We'll crush you in one blow, hahaha!"

Crash. Crack.

The two enormous giants shouted and smashed trees, confident that no monster could challenge them.

But the Gigantes were created by our grandmother Gaia to destroy Olympus. They would be wary of us, especially after Typhon's defeat.

"I don't see Artemis!"

"Monsters! The Aloadae brothers are here!"

The giants would never be as careless as they were. They were likely setting up an ambush or preparing to activate some kind of trap.

At that moment, Naxos Island trembled.

Rumble—

"Is that the Gigantes' trap?"

"That power exceeds Demeter's control over the earth. It must be directly from Gaia."

The entire island shook with a deafening roar, the ground splitting as if struck by Poseidon's trident.

Boom! Crash!

"What's this? Is this the Gigantes' doing?"

"These cowards!"

The giants, who called themselves the Aloadae brothers, lost their balance and fell. Ephialtes, whose ankle I had stabbed, rolled on the ground, clutching his head.

Even Gaia's trap couldn't completely incapacitate such powerful giants. Something else was at play.

"Ugh! What's this..."

"A trap? Did Zeus lie to us?"

From what I could see, there were deadly toxins, hallucinations, and the earth itself rejecting them. Gaia had meticulously planned this trap.

"Oh... I'm glad I didn't send Hermes for reconnaissance."

Zeus observed the island with a serious expression. The trap seemed designed for the Olympian gods, and the giant brothers were disoriented.

As the island was devastated by a massive earthquake, Gigantes emerged from the cracks, swarming the giants. One particularly large Gigantes shouted, seemingly a leader among them.

"Just as Mother said, we've caught a big one! I am Agrios under King Eurymedon!"

"Die, dogs of Olympus!"

"Attack!!"

"These bastards!"

"You cowardly monsters who took Artemis!!"

King Eurymedon? The Gigantes have grown powerful enough to crown a king. And this Agrios was a new face.

Zeus's expression hardened at the mention of a king. With the prophesied hero yet to be born, it was wise to avoid a full-scale war.

Soon, the island became a battlefield, giants and monsters clashing violently. Gigantes threw boulders and swung trees.

"Which god are you?! Ares? Apollo?!"

"Ugh!"

"Vile monsters! Give back Artemis!"

Crash! Crack!

The giant brothers, with their enormous strength, fought back, but they were wounded as the battle raged on.

"Ephialtes! We should retreat and... ugh!"

"Otus!"

The earthquake unbalanced them, the toxins and the earth's power weakened them, and hundreds of Gigantes ambushed them. Even the strongest Olympians couldn't defeat such a horde alone.

The Gigantes named Agrios jumped on Otus's back, strangling him. Otus struggled and fell, with Ephialtes howling in despair.

"The giants can indeed be killed. Gigantes are more monster than god."

Zeus rose, retrieving his Astrape. The blue lightning in his hand crackled with intense power, though it was one of his weaker bolts.

"Otus! Gah!"

"Just kill this one!"

"Crush him with your bodies!"

The remaining Gigantes, down to a few dozen, threw rocks at Ephialtes, pinning him down and striking his ankle.

"No... it can't be..."

"Hahaha!"

Thus, the Aloadae brothers, who challenged Olympus, met their end. Despite defeating hundreds of Gigantes, their demise was anticlimactic considering their strength.

* * *

As the battle on Naxos Island ended, Zeus stood up with his lightning bolt. He intended to annihilate the exhausted Gigantes.

"Time to clean up."

"Throw lightly to minimize the impact on the sea."

Crackling—Rumble—

Lightning sparked from Zeus's body. The king of gods raised his arm...

Flash—Boom!

A single bolt of lightning struck Naxos Island, sinking it and killing the Gigantes. The island was torn apart, countless lives lost. I could foresee Thanatos complaining to me again in the future.

"Zeus, I'll return to the underworld now."

"Come visit Olympus again, hahaha!"

"Hopefully not for reasons like today."

I spotted Aphrodite talking with the goddesses, sipping nectar. Time to take her back to the underworld.

"Hades!"

Aphrodite, who had been watching from the corner of the banquet, met my gaze. She seemed eager to start working in the underworld.

She walked over and stood before me.

"Let's go. We have places to be, don't we?"

"Indeed."

With an expectant look, Aphrodite followed me. But the murmurs around us were concerning.

"Did Hades take her again..."

"After the great flood... I worked in the underworld..."

"Poor Aphrodite..."

...That goddess who shivered about working in the underworld, I remember assigning her to an easy job.

* * *

"Humming~"

Bringing the humming Aphrodite to the underworld's entrance, I saw Thanatos's avatar. He had bound the souls of two giant brothers with ropes.

"How did you get caught by mere monsters! Release me!"

"Gasp! L-Lord Hades?!"

Otus and Ephialtes, who had died fighting the Gigantes, had arrived in the underworld. I should tell Minos to put them to hard labor.

Recognizing Aphrodite and me, they struggled.

"Release us, Hades!"

"Send us back to the living world!"

Not a chance. Maybe if they were still alive and under the prophecy's protection, but as souls, escaping Thanatos was impossible.

Thanatos's avatar threw the giant souls, and they rolled on the ground, shouting about Artemis and returning to the living world.

This would disrupt Charon's work.

"Aphrodite, can you charm them?"

"That's easy~"

The goddess of beauty and love smiled. Her enchanting gaze turned to the giant souls.

"Let us out... Ah..."

"Zeus tricked us! He must have... Ah..."

There had been many unruly souls, but with Aphrodite's help, the work would improve.

Where to assign her? The cold Cocytus River, where souls hesitate to cross? The banks of the Acheron River, where the unruly gather? Or the Phlegethon River, where memories cause hesitation?

As I pondered, Charon approached. The always weary ferryman grumbled.

"These have no coins. Should I still take them?"

"They're criminals, so they need judgment. I'll pay their fare."

"Tsk... Alright. Get on, you lot!"

The dazed giant souls boarded Charon's boat. Otus went first...

Splash—Wobble.

Huh? Was Charon's boat always this fragile? It should hold many souls.

"Why is it so heavy? Hey, you sit over there!"

Charon seemed to think the same. He seated the giants at opposite ends to balance the boat.

Next, Ephialtes boarded...

Crack—Snap!

What...?