King of Underworld

Chapter 56 Prometheus the Prophet – (4)

I returned immediately to the Underworld and handed Pandora’s necklace back to her.

Then, I summoned all the gods residing in the Underworld.

The news that I had received a prophecy from Prometheus caused them to drop whatever they were doing and rush to the meeting.

Even Thanatos, the god of death, who is always busy, hurried to attend.

Once everyone was gathered in the office, I began to relay Prometheus’s prophecy.

“…No matter how well we prepare, he said we will fall to Gaia’s strike.”

“A predetermined future… It cannot be changed…”

“I’m worried about how devastating that strike will be for us.”

“Wouldn’t it be wise to fortify the most critical locations in advance?”

As soon as the discussion began, the office grew noisy with chatter.

If this were Olympus, where Zeus’s strong authority controls everything, this wouldn’t be happening.

But the Underworld is different.

Except for my primary decision-making authority and the respect for the ancient gods who have lived for ages, everyone here is more or less equal and free to voice their opinions.

In fact, the Underworld wasn’t always like this in the early days of its creation.

But thanks to my efforts to eliminate the rigid and tense atmosphere, we now have this more horizontal environment…

“Hades?! Why are you just sitting there?”

“What else did Prometheus say?”

“Hey! Snap out of it, Hades! I’m much more tired than you are!”

“Lord Thanatos… How about another cup of nectar?”

“Ah, apologies, everyone… I was lost in thought for a moment.”

…That startled me.

Everyone had stopped talking and was staring at me, waiting for my input.

Gathering my thoughts, I shared the rest of Prometheus’s prophecy.

“And Prometheus said, ‘After that, if the mortal world and the Underworld are connected, the gods will win.’”

“How are we supposed to connect the mortal world and the Underworld?”

“It’s so vague… How, when, and where are we supposed to do this?”

“I can’t make sense of it either…”

“Does he mean we need to turn the world upside down to win?”

It’s clear that we can’t avoid the significant loss, but how are we supposed to connect the mortal world and the Underworld to secure victory? This is giving me a headache.

As all the gods were puzzling over how to interpret the prophecy, the voice of the goddess of forgetfulness, Lethe, who had been staring blankly into space, broke the silence.

“Hades, couldn’t we take our time with this problem?”

“Goddess Lethe?”

“Isn’t it that we have until after Gaia’s strike before we need to connect the mortal world and the Underworld?”

Prometheus did say that.

After suffering a major loss from Gaia’s attack, only then should we connect the two worlds…

“He can’t possibly mean that I should mobilize the entire Underworld’s army and launch an assault…”

“Of course, it’s not that kind of prophecy… Or could it be?”

“Should we assess the current strength of the Underworld’s forces just in case?”

“…Was there any other prophecy, Hades?”

As Morpheus suggested checking the Underworld’s forces, I was deep in thought when Hypnos, who had been quietly observing, asked me a question.

“Oh… Right, Prometheus did say something else…”

Hades, you might want to keep your lower half a bit looser! Heh heh heh!

…What on earth was he trying to imply with that?

It sounds like something he might say to Zeus, but… I need to loosen up?

“Damn that trickster prophet…”

“What was that, Hades?”

“What else did Prometheus say?”

Styx and Lethe both looked at me with curious expressions.

I met the innocent gazes of the goddesses and answered them vaguely.

“…It’s nothing. He was just playing a prank on me.”

“Well, that’s just like Prometheus.”

“Always smirking and chuckling like a schemer.”

…Why do I feel like I’ve done something wrong?

Amid the strange atmosphere,

A lower god entered the office.

“Lord Hades, the messenger we sent to Olympus has returned.”

“What did Olympus have to say?”

Since Prometheus’s prophecy is something that Olympus also needs to know, I had already sent a messenger to gather their response.

“Yes. They decided to maintain the status quo, believing that no matter what preparations we make, we won’t be able to avoid Gaia’s predicted attack.”

“That makes sense. Trying to avoid a prophecy is usually futile.”

If we concentrate our forces in one area to protect it, Gaia will just strike elsewhere.

Even if that place is the palace of Olympus, it’s the same.

“Goddess Athena speculated that the loss caused by Gaia’s attack would create the necessity to connect the two worlds.”

“A need to connect the Underworld with the mortal world?”

“Are all humans going to be wiped out or something?”

“We could ask Hermes to gather regular reports…”

“It’s hard to make any guesses at this point.”

“Could it be that the Omphalos stone currently with Demeter will be stolen?”

If that were the case, then this isn’t something we need to worry about right now.

Trying to prevent the prophecy might actually trigger it instead.

“For now, let’s end the meeting here. It would be wise to maintain close communication with Olympus, as we’ve been doing.”

We should stop here.

For us to win, we must connect the Underworld with the mortal world…

As I was about to conclude the discussion and leave the room, the goddess Mnemosyne called out to me.

“Hades, I’ve heard that a new god has been assigned to the Underworld.”

“Assigned to the Underworld? Was it by force?”

“I’m not sure about that… It’s just what I heard from Olympus…”

There are several ways a new god can come into being.

First, a mortal who accomplishes great deeds and is recognized by the gods can ascend to Olympus and become a god.

Second, if both parents are gods, their child is born as a god and quickly matures.

Third, a mortal who is worshipped as a god after death by humanity can ascend.

Fourth, as in the case of Dionysus, a demigod can ascend to godhood through mortal worship.

There are many other ways to become a god, but…

Until now, no newly born gods have ever been assigned to the Underworld.

The reasons for this are varied,

But first, the gods of the Underworld are too busy to have children, so new gods aren’t born here.

Second, the Underworld is generally seen as an undesirable post by most gods.

It’s a dark, lifeless place, devoid of the vitality of the mortal world…

“Oh, is it the first time in thousands… or maybe tens of thousands of years that we’ve had a new face?”

“Finally, our workload might lighten a bit.”

“A new god… What should we have them do first? Maybe we should keep them within the fortress to prevent them from running away…”

“I hope they can help me with harvesting souls.”

The workload in the Underworld has always been overwhelming.

Its infamy is well-known, even in Olympus, so who would want to come here?

But now there’s a new god assigned to the Underworld?

It’s obvious someone must have pressured this new god into it or that they applied without knowing the full extent of the situation.

“Well then, let’s officially end the meeting. I’m going to meet this new god who’s apparently come to the Underworld, so everyone, please get back to work.”

“You don’t need to tell me; I’m already working…”

“Ahem. My apologies, Thanatos.”

Thanatos, whose eyes were darting around as if he were seeing things, spoke.

Well, it’s no wonder, given the number of proxies he controls in the mortal world.

I sat on the throne in the audience hall within the fortress, waiting for this new god who had supposedly been assigned to the Underworld.

What kind of peculiar, possibly mad god would want to work in the Underworld?

Creeeak.

The massive door to the audience hall slowly opened, revealing…

A man carrying a staff entwined with two serpents and wearing winged sandals.

The messenger god, Hermes…?

He entered with a mischievous grin, bowing exaggeratedly as if for effect.

Hermes only has that kind of smile when something amusing is about to happen…

“Greetings, Uncle! It’s I, Hermes, the messenger of all! Today, I’ve brought with me the new god!”

I thought you were here to work.

And you personally brought the new god?

While it would be helpful for Hermes to escort the new god here, as the entrance to the Underworld isn’t easy to find, especially for someone newly born…

Knock, knock.

With a playful expression, Hermes tapped lightly on the closed door of the audience hall.

That seemed to be the signal, as I sensed a divine presence outside the door moving toward us.

Who could this be, that even Hermes would act in such a way?

Though Hermes is known for his pranks, he rarely crosses the line into rudeness…

Creeeak.

The door slowly opened again, and a beautiful goddess stepped inside.

With bright, light turquoise hair, an aura of freshness, and a familiar scent, that face is…?

“Menthe? What brings you to the Underworld?”

“Uh… Hehe… H-hello, Lord Hades.”

Menthe, a Naiad and one of the water nymphs who served as a priestess in my

temple in Thebes, as well as the originator of mint, which has become my symbol in this life.

Wait a moment, Menthe has become a god?