King of Underworld

Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Story of Life – (4)

—

The story concluded, Zeus disappeared with a flash of lightning.

Only then did I call in the gods who had been waiting outside my office.

[Zeus has now left, so everyone may come in.]

Both Zeus and I were aware that many were curious about our conversation, but we didn’t care.

We used divine power to block the sound from escaping outside.

“Hades, perhaps even after the Great Flood ends, will our work increase...”

“Did Lord Zeus order anything else...?”

I calmly explained to their anxious faces.

Zeus swore on the River Styx that he would never again sweep the surface without consulting the Underworld.

And during the Great Flood, he would send the goddess of wisdom, Athena, and her attendants to assist the Underworld.

“Phew... it’s a relief amidst the misfortune.”

“I was worried about the workload, but if it’s the goddess Athena...”

The Underworld became lively again.

Sighs of relief erupted here and there, and the gods dispersed with slightly brighter faces.

Three days until the Great Flood.

—

### The Day of the Great Flood

Zeus, king of the gods, called Boreas, the god of the north wind with giant wings, in a solemn voice.

“Boreas, do not stir the wind from now on and remain in the cave of Aeolus for nine days. I will hear no objections.”

“...As you wish.”

Boreas entered the cave of Aeolus, the god who controls the winds, halting his duties.

This ensured that the rain clouds filling the sky would not disperse.

Next, Notus, the god of the south wind, stood before Zeus.

Symbolizing the summer south wind and rain, Notus was always drenched.

“Notus! Until I command you to stop, rain as much as you wish. Let the world be submerged.”

Receiving Zeus’s command, Notus, dripping water from his wet body and wings, touched the sky’s clouds.@@@@

Soon, with a fierce thunderclap, torrential rain began to pour down.

Swoosh—

Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, who had received Hera’s order in advance, fetched water from the Milky Way to add moisture to the clouds.

The rain clouds would dry only when Hera’s command was lifted.

“Hermes! Inform Poseidon that the time has come. Athena! Descend to the Underworld with the preselected attendants to assist Hades.”

Hermes, the messenger god holding the caduceus with two entwined snakes, flew swiftly to the sea.

He was a son of Zeus and also the god of thieves and travelers.

“For the next nine days, any god who aids the lives on the surface out of personal sentiment should be prepared for the consequences!”

Boom, crash!!

Zeus’s final shout, filled with his power, echoed through Olympus with the sound of thunder.

Hearing the shout, many gods feared and dared not act rashly.

When the king of the gods decided to punish humans, who could dare to stop him?

—

Poseidon, visited by Zeus’s messenger Hermes, raised a massive wave that swept over the earth.

The human villages on the coast were submerged to the bottom of the sea in an instant.

Next, he summoned all the river gods.

The command given by the great sea god to the river gods was simple.

“Open all the floodgates, and let the water flow as it wills.”

He was Ares, the war god, son of Zeus and Hera.

“Uncle Hades! Where is the war I need to join...”

“Good, if you’re the god of war, you must be good at commanding. From now on, lead the souls crossing the River Styx and guide them here.”

“Excuse me...? What do you mean? Athena said...”

Ares’ expression was priceless as he explained.

Apparently, Athena sent him a letter saying, [If you come to the Underworld now, you can join a massive war], which made him rush here.

She even vouched for her words with my name, so he trusted her and came despite his doubts.

But with a god’s presence being invaluable, I couldn’t afford to consider his situation.

“...Athena! You tricked me again!”

“I merely said there was a war with paperwork in the Underworld. Is there a problem?”

Ares, who had been lamenting, was suddenly dragged away by a minor god who appeared behind him.

In truth, he couldn’t resist because I was watching with sharp eyes.

—

Finally, the long nine-day Great Flood ended.

The gods of the Underworld could now rest a little, and just as everyone was about to drink nectar, another message came from Olympus.

“Prometheus’ son, Deucalion, survived the Great Flood and seeks to revive humanity, so Hades, please reincarnate the souls.”

So, Prometheus used his prophetic ability to inform his son about the Great Flood.

Thus, he built an ark and saved his life.

But... reincarnate souls to recreate humans now?

Focusing my eyes and ears on the surface, I heard Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha speaking.

“Hmm... Dear, Zeus’s oracle says... If we want to revive humanity, we should throw the bones of the great mother over our shoulders.”

“Gods! We cannot commit such a sin against our ancestors! Please retract the oracle...”

“Wait a moment. Could it be that the great mother means the earth and bones refer to stones?”

“Ah...! That could be it!”

Seeing them start to gather stones from the ground, I immediately shouted to the gods.

Quickly select the souls for reincarnation and send them to the surface.

“Damn it! The work isn’t over yet!”

“Hypnos! The goddess Lethe has collapsed, and you put her to sleep?”

“I didn’t put her to sleep; she collapsed from exhaustion!”

“Hurry and select the souls!”

The Underworld, which was returning to peace, turned chaotic again in an instant.

Meanwhile, on the surface, Deucalion and his wife threw stones to create human figures

.

“Hey...? The stones formed human shapes, but why aren’t they moving?”

“Hmm, let’s wait a bit. The gods must be busy.”

“Souls, move quickly! It’s time for reincarnation!”

“Are the sinners properly sorted?”

“We are sending them to the surface in sequence!”

The souls emerging from the Underworld were guided by the gods into the human forms.

Only then did Deucalion and Pyrrha sigh in relief and start throwing stones freely.

Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop.

The stones endlessly hit the ground and successfully became humans, but...

The gods of the Underworld were rather infuriated.

“Damn it! Couldn’t they throw a bit slower?”

“Why are they in such a rush to scatter stones?!”

The Underworld is busy as ever today.