King of Underworld

Chapter 150

Interlude - The Peculiar Tales of Heroes

(Theseus is relevant to the main story, but Hercules is an unrelated side story!)

Hero Theseus

The hero Theseus, born of Aigeus, King of Athens, and Aithra, a princess of Troezen.

After a night with Aithra, Aigeus left, instructing her to send any son she bore to him. He left a token under a large rock and departed.

"Urrgh! Mother! Are you sure Father left this?"

"Yes, my son. But the token is beneath the rock... and it seems you’re not ready yet."

Theseus was born to Aithra and, while still young, tried to lift the rock but failed. Determined, he set off for the heroes' training ground in Thebes to gain the strength he needed.

"Aaaargh!!!"

"Tsk. There goes Theseus again, sent flying by Python’s tail."

"Wonder what’s broken this time? Hopefully, not his head."

After enduring hardships, fighting countless monsters and fallen heroes in the Underworld, Theseus finally returned to Troezen as a grown man. He glanced at the rock...

"Haaap!"

Crash!

With a single punch, he shattered the rock and retrieved the sword and sandals hidden beneath. Aithra then revealed to him that his father was Aigeus, King of Athens.

Theseus set off for Athens to find his father. Along the way, he encountered numerous monsters and villains, each of whom he defeated.

First, he met Periphetes, who lay in wait in the forest to bludgeon passersby to death with a bronze club. Theseus grabbed the swinging club barehanded, snatched it away, and killed him.

Next, he encountered Sinis, who would tie his victims’ limbs to bent pine trees, then release the trees to tear them apart. Pretending to be caught, Theseus let himself be bound to a pine, but as Sinis pulled the tree back, Theseus uprooted it entirely.

Crack... Boom!

"Hey."

"H-Heek!"

"This was quite a workout. I’d like you to try it, too."

And so Sinis met the same fate as his previous victims.

The third villain was Sciron. He would rob travelers and force them to wash his feet at the edge of a cliff, only to kick them off when they finished. But Theseus beat him, made him wash his feet, and then kicked Sciron off the cliff once his feet were clean.

He also dispatched the ferocious king Cercyon, who wrestled travelers to death, and Procrustes, who would cut down those taller than his bed and stretch those shorter to fit. Lastly, he killed the savage boar Phaia, which had terrorized the land between Megara and Corinth.

With his reputation established, Theseus reached Athens, where the childless King Aigeus welcomed him, acknowledging him as his son and granting him the status of Prince of Athens.

"Father, I’ll slay the Minotaur in Crete and return."

"Hmm..."

"If I survive, I’ll sail back with a white sail; if I die, the sail will be black."

Theseus later went to Crete, slew the bull-headed monster Minotaur with ease, and started his journey back with Princess Ariadne, whom he had won as his bride.

Although Dionysus attempted to claim Ariadne along the way, the Goddess of Justice intervened, allowing Theseus to safely return with a white sail and marry Princess Ariadne.

The Peculiar Twelve Labors - Part 1

"So how could I abandon the heavens? So many lives and descendants flourish beneath them."

With that final word, the great Titan returned to his stance. Inspired, Hercules bowed in respect and took the golden apples back with him.

The Peculiar Twelve Labors - Part 2

For his twelfth and final labor, Hercules had to bring Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld, to the surface.

Arriving at the Underworld, he wandered near the Acheron River, where he was spotted by Charon, the ferryman of the Acheron.

"A living soul, are you? I cannot take you to the Underworld."

"I am Hercules, a mortal on a quest from Hera. I ask that you grant me passage."

"Leave, mortal."

Most would give up or beg at this point, but Hercules was different. Angrily, he raised his club, pointing it at Charon.

"Won’t you ferry me across? You’ll soon change your mind!"

"Hmm."

Despite the intimidating aura of a man who might thrash even a god, Charon remained unfazed. Though he ferried souls daily, he was the son of Erebus, god of darkness, and Nyx, goddess of night—a child of the Primordial Gods, older even than Olympus’s three great deities.

However strong Hercules was, threats wouldn’t work on Charon. The gap between gods and mortals was immense, especially when dealing with a high-ranking god like Charon.

But then...

"Fine. I’ll ferry you across!"

"...?"

"However, I’ll do it if you hit me a few times."

"What?"

"You look young, but you’re not too bright! I want you to hit me, hard enough to leave wounds so I can take a break. With your strength, I could even fool Hades!"

"...? Very well."

"Heh heh! And if you break your promise, I’ll throw you into the Acheron!"

A weighty energy emanated from the shabby ferryman. Hercules, realizing he faced a high-level deity, nodded.

"Go on. Hit me here on the head."

"...Like this?"

Crunch.

"Ha! That muscle isn’t just for show! Hit me harder, enough to trick Hades!"

"O-Oh... as you wish."

Boom!

Struck by a mortal, Charon fell to the ground with a bright grin, discarded his oar, and closed his eyes. Moments later, soft snores filled the air.

"Snoooore... Puuuuh... Snooooore."

"...Unbelievable."

Charon’s first break since the dawn of time ended abruptly when Hades found him lying between the Acheron and Cocytus rivers.

As punishment—not for taking a break, but for allowing a living soul to pass—he was chained for a year.