The Day of Rest in the Underworld - (2)

After extensive discussions about creating a universal day of rest, the gods, myself included, finally reached a consensus.

1. The day of rest will occur once a month, on the first day of each month.
2. An oracle will be issued to mortals, declaring it an officially sanctioned day of rest recognized by the gods.
3. On this day, wars will temporarily cease, and any mortal who instigates conflict will face punishment.

"Well, that should be enough for the framework. Execution of death sentences should also be postponed on this day..." "With an oracle, mortals should comply, and this will lessen the burden on the Underworld."

As we discussed, Hestia suddenly spoke up with a puzzled expression.

"Wait a minute—this whole rest day is because the Underworld is overworked, right? Wouldn’t it be easier if Olympus pitched in a bit more?" "But how much spare capacity does Olympus even have?"

Hestia’s suggestion was appreciated, though I doubted many gods had the time. Some are already occupied with searching for traces of Uranus, as I mentioned recently.

"Finding Uranus can be handled by Hermes and a few others. It should be fine to send a few gods down there." "Zeus, don’t you think we need more gods to search for Uranus?"

Zeus waved his hand with a slight smile, as if to reassure me.

"No need to worry. We’ll find our grandfather, Uranus, soon enough." "So, you’ve found a lead." "We’ve been secretly searching for him for a long time. The impending confrontation with Gaia means we need to locate the Protogenoi who could become wildcards."

I gave Zeus a somewhat surprised look. He really can be competent at times, though I wonder why only sometimes...

"Besides, locating places imbued with celestial power that doesn’t belong to me is easier. Even his daughter, Aphrodite, is looking for him..." "Good. Let me know when you find him. I’ll go and try to persuade him immediately." "It won’t take long. The search area is narrowing; we should find him within a month or two..."

So, it’s not long now. Convincing him should be easier than convincing Lady Nyx. However, having to secure a token from one Protogenoi to convince another is quite a task.

At least, with Lady Nyx's feather in hand, it should aid my persuasion. After all, our resentment toward Kronos is mutual, and he may still hold a grudge against Gaia, who urged her son to sever his manhood.

"Also, could you regularly send gods to the Underworld? Since humanity was created, we’ve constantly been burdened." "Of course. I’ll arrange for idle gods to be dispatched regularly."

With Zeus’ final word, the meeting on Olympus concluded.

Upon returning to the Underworld, I was about to resume the judgment of souls when I noticed Minthe waiting by the Acheron River. The ferryman, Charon, had also paused his rowing to look in my direction.

A goddess with sea-green hair ran over, her face filled with anticipation.

"Lord Hades! How did things go on Olympus?" "We decided to make the first day of each month an official day of rest. And Olympus will now regularly send gods to assist us." "Hurray! Lord Hades, you’re the best!!!"

Squish.

I thought I heard a soft squishy sound from the embrace, and Minthe quickly pulled away, looking a bit flustered.

"Oh! This isn’t the time for this. I’ll go spread the good news to the other gods!" "...Alright."

As Minthe ran off, I saw Charon approaching. I’d never seen such a pleased look on his face since he started ferrying souls.

"Hades. So, I’ll get to rest on the first day of each month? This is fantastic news..." "Well, there will still be some deaths, so you’ll have to keep working, though the number of souls should be lower." "...Damn it."

Charon’s power to ferry souls across the Acheron River is unparalleled. No one else can replace him, not even the gods sent by Olympus or myself.

The gods of Olympus announced the new day of rest through an oracle. Mortals were initially confused but soon accepted it, weighing the benefits.

"The first day of every month is a rest day… Even executions are forbidden?" "According to the oracle from the temple of Pluto, anyone who commits a crime on this day will face severe punishment." "Other temples have said the same. So, does that mean even the gods take a break?"

"But what about those who work to survive? How will they manage if they have to rest on the first day of every month?" "Well, they’re encouraged but not obligated."

While ordinary people accepted the new holiday as a practical change, theologians and priests pondered the implications.

"Why would the gods establish a holiday for us mortals, anyway?" "Now that you mention it, this day doesn’t commemorate the birth of any god or any special anniversary." "Could it be that the gods themselves need a day of rest?" "Hey, that’s blasphemy! Surely the omnipotent gods have no need for rest?" "Perhaps, but if they look down upon us with human-like personalities..."

Indeed, while gods can perform deeds unimaginable to mortals, their behaviors are as capricious as humans’ due to their close connection to mortals.

"So, do they really need to rest?" "It seems like there might be more to it than that." "Perhaps the gods who oversee the world wish to set aside a day to observe the mortal realm in peace?" "That’s a plausible idea—a day for observing the mortal world."

In the end, they concluded that the rest day was likely due to the gods' own interests, though they couldn’t glean further details from the limited information. One daring priest, however...

"Goddess Athena! I seek your wisdom as one who thirsts for knowledge. What is the meaning of this rest day on the first of every month? As rumors suggest, do the gods indeed require rest?"

"That madman!" "Isn’t that blasphemy? He’s going to be punished." "Well, he has served the goddess Athena for decades. Let’s wait and see…"

Unable to contain his curiosity, a priest of Athena sought her wisdom, and soon, the goddess issued an oracle.

The first day of each month is a day to keep death at bay—a day of rest for the gods of the Underworld.

Those who heard Athena’s oracle nodded in understanding. Theologians recorded the oracle diligently, while her priests offered sacrifices in gratitude.

"Indeed, it’s a day to keep death at bay!" "Death is an inevitable end feared by all life. Could it be an act of kindness?" "While that interpretation is possible, I think the goddess meant it more as a day off for the gods of the Underworld." "I heard Thanatos resides in the temple of the Underworld in Thebes…" "Ah! So, it could be a day dedicated to Thanatos, who reaps souls!" "After all, he harvests souls every day..."

Thus, the first day of each month came to be known among mortals as the Day of Thanatos.

The notion of a rest day dedicated to the god who guides souls spread throughout Greece, eventually reaching even the ears of the gods themselves.

Today is the Day of Rest in the Underworld, a nominal holiday for everyone. Yet, some gods still found themselves unable to rest—like Lord Hades, the ferryman Charon, and…

"Kuh… Kuh-huh! Thanatos! Isn’t today supposed to be your day? Why are you still working?" "...Shut it, Hypnos. You’ll be working soon enough..." "Well, unlike you, I’m only busy at night! I can relax a bit during the day."

Thanatos, who ferried the naturally deceased souls to the Underworld, continued his work.

And there was Hypnos, teasing him relentlessly. I gave Hypnos a look, hinting for him to stop before Thanatos decided to flee. With a shrug, he laughed and retreated.

"Mortals certainly are curious creatures. They only sleep at night! Hahaha!"

"Sigh… Hades. I can deal with this, but shouldn’t the new gods from Olympus be arriving by now?" "Yes. Today is the day for new gods to join us."

As per Zeus’ arrangement, Olympus had started sending gods regularly. Who would it be this time? Himeros? Anteros? Or maybe Semele, Dionysus’ mother, now elevated to a goddess?

But it was an unexpected deity who arrived.

"The goddess of persuasion, Peitho? You’ve come to the Underworld?" "Yes. Lord Zeus told me that traces of Uranus have been found, and he instructed me to accompany you." "Have they already found Uranus? Where is he?" "He is secluded near the foot of the Aquila constellation in the heavens."

Hidden among the stars all this time… Aquila—the constellation created in honor of the eagle that brought Zeus’ favored Ganymede. Strange how he immortalizes such things.

"Peitho, return to Olympus and inform Zeus. Tell him Uranus might be uncomfortable or displeased with powers of persuasion." "Pardon? But..." "I will handle persuading him alone."

If I can secure Uranus’ favor, then Gaia will no longer be a threat...