King of Underworld

Chapter 89

The Story of Tantalus - (1)

After Hephaestus received his punishment in the Underworld, Zeus finally agreed to allow the marriage. However, the wedding of Hephaestus and Aglaea was unfortunately postponed.

A now somber Hephaestus returned to the Underworld, while I was in the middle of warning Aphrodite.

"As I’ve told you before, every time you seduce a god, it causes a rift in Olympus..." "Yes, yes... I know. You’ve burdened me with an unwanted marriage, so I’ve had to manage in my own way, right?"

The Goddess of Beauty grumbled with a slightly pouty expression. Standing beside her, Eros was fiddling with his bow. The reason he was here, even though he should have been in the Underworld, was that I thought he had reflected enough, so I swapped him out with Hephaestus.

"I’ll never shoot arrows recklessly again..." "I won’t stop you from spreading love as the God of Love, but refrain from randomly shooting arrows into the air."

At least now he should only practice archery at designated targets. But if he ever shot arrows recklessly into the air again...

"Eek!"

Eros quickly hid behind Aphrodite. Should I spank him if it happens again?

As Aphrodite stroked the head of Eros, who was hiding behind her, she looked at me and smiled. It wasn’t her usual seductive, flirtatious smile. This was different...

"Thank you for persuading Zeus, Hades." "...I just thought it was unfortunate that the Goddess of Love couldn’t love freely."

Her eyes and demeanor were sincere. Did she dislike Hephaestus that much? Well, I suppose it makes sense, considering the forced marriage...

I gave a vague response, mentioning that Hera had been a big help, and turned my back to leave. It was time to return to the Underworld.

"Hades, brother." "Zeus. Is there something you need from me?"

Just as I was about to head back to the Underworld, Zeus called out to me. Judging by his tone, it was probably an invitation to a banquet or a request for me to attend Hephaestus’s wedding later.

"There’s a human who wants to invite us gods to a grand banquet. Would you like to join?" "If I attend, won’t it just sour the mood?" "The person inviting us is my son, and also the king of Lydia. He’s a human who holds deep reverence for the gods, and I’d like for you to meet him."

Ah, so he’s one of Zeus’s sons.

In that case, I understand why Zeus wants me to attend. He probably wants his son, who reveres the gods, to receive some favor in the Underworld after his death.

Since he’s the son of Zeus, that makes him my nephew. The banquet of a king shouldn’t be too boring... Maybe I’ll drop by.

"Even though I can’t promise him special treatment in the afterlife... I’ll attend." "Good. You’ll probably find my son rather charming when you meet him."@@@@

Zeus suddenly grew serious and looked at me with a firm expression.

"But that’s only the surface reason for inviting you..."

So there’s more to it?

The gods who went to meet the King of Lydia and son of Zeus numbered seven: myself, Zeus, Hermes, Dionysus, Demeter, Poseidon, and Hera.

I’d heard that the king invited all twelve Olympians, but...

"Thank you for your patience, O gods. The stew, made with rare meats, is finally ready for you. Please enjoy to your heart’s content."

It seemed true enough, for the stew gave off a pleasant aroma. Various herbs and spices were mixed into the dish, and its appearance was quite appealing.

But...

"You expect us to eat this?" "......"

The meat in the stew... was human flesh.

There wasn’t a single god at the table who didn’t recognize the human flesh in the stew. Even a lesser deity would sense something was off and refuse to eat. Let alone the highest-ranking gods present here.

For a man to serve human flesh to the gods... he was clearly no ordinary human.

I glanced at Dionysus, whose expression was neutral, though his eyes were starting to glaze over.

That look—it was the sign he was about to give in to madness. So, this wasn’t the result of Dionysus’s influence...

The other gods also refrained from touching the stew, their anger barely restrained. Zeus had closed his eyes the moment he saw the stew.

No one made a move to eat, and Tantalus stood there, oblivious, until he opened his mouth as if nothing was wrong.

A mortal this mad... I’d never encountered one in my thousands of years as a god.

"O great gods, why do you hesitate to partake of this..."

"You wretched fool! Tantalus! Have you truly gone mad!!!"

FLASH! BOOM! CRASH!!!

Tantalus’s smug words were cut off by Zeus’s furious roar. Lightning shot down from the sky, obliterating the palace in an instant.

RUMBLE... CLATTER.

The grand palace was reduced to ruins, and countless humans were buried beneath the debris. Even in the aftermath, there were many dead souls—so many had been caught up in it.

"Grrgh..." "What... What’s happening... Is that... a god?!" "Your Majesty...?!"

The cries of humans echoed all around, but Zeus paid no mind, levitating the stew into the air. The pieces of human flesh floated and gathered, and he passed it over to Demeter.

It seems he plans to resurrect the dead human later.

With his fury somewhat tempered, Zeus gestured, and Tantalus, now bloodied and sprawled on the ground, was lifted by an invisible force, clutching at his throat as he was dragged forward.

"Ugh... Gah!" "You dared serve human flesh to the gods? Who was this human, and why did you do this?" "Ugh..."

Lightning crackled in Zeus’s eyes as he exerted his immense pressure. Faced with the wrath of the king of the gods, no mortal could lie.

And the truth that came out of Tantalus’s mouth was beyond anything we could have imagined.

"I wanted to... test whether the gods are truly wise... That was my son in the stew..."