Side Story - The Rebellion of the Underworld (6)
Shhhh—THWACK!
“GAAAARGHHH!!!”
The Bident struck true, piercing straight into Zeus’s groin.
Golden ichor burst forth, splattering the marble floors of the grand council chamber and flooding the air with the scent of divinity.
The King of the Gods scread, his voice shaking Olympus itself—columns trembled, winds howled, and chaos descended.
And in that mont, the gods of the Underworld stord through the rainbow passage and into Olympus.
“Thanatos, Hypnos, Moros, and Keres—Damn it!”
“Wait—Protheus and Epitheus are here too? Could it be—!”
“Curse it! The Underworld is attacking!”
“Stand aside, children!”
“Artemis—let’s settle this later—”
“Lord of the Underworld! What madness is this?!”
Olympus erupted into battle. Divine powers surged, swords clashed, and spears rained down.
Artemis unleashed a flurry of moonlit arrows while Apollo bathed the battlefield in blinding light to push back the gods of death.
Swwwoosh—Fwoooosh!
Hephaestus’s flas roared alongside Aphrodite’s enchanting allure, colliding with the dark waters of the Styx.
A haze of death and sleep spread faintly through Olympus, blanketing the chaos like an ominous fog.
Only Hestia remained at her hearth, letting out a heavy sigh as she tended the sacred fla amidst the turmoil.
But I had only one target—Zeus.
The opening strike had shattered his pride and focus, and though I continued to prevent him from reaching his thunderbolts, Zeus remained a formidable foe.
“Hades! You dare rise against instead of Poseidon?!”
He roared, his voice thundering through the chamber as he flailed wildly.
I remained silent, pressing the attack, intent on maximizing the Kynee’s invisibility.
Lightning crackled and winds howled as Zeus lashed out in desperation.
But it wasn’t the Astrapé—the legendary Thunderbolt.
Without it, he would have to rely solely on his divine authority to harm .
“Ares! My son! Bring the Astrapé!”
“Yes, Father!”
Bloodied and desperate, Zeus called out to Ares.
If Ares delivered the Thunderbolt, the tide of battle could shift—but not if Thanatos had anything to say about it.
“Where do you think you’re going? Let’s have so fun first.”
“Damn you, Thanatos!”
“Do you have any idea how much trouble your wars cause ?!”
“What?! That’s your job!”
“Try being the god of death yourself, and you’ll see how exhausting it is!”
The god of death cornered Ares, forcing him into combat.
The two clashed violently, and though Thanatos couldn’t kill Ares in Olympus, the delay was all I needed.
BOOOOOM!
“Atlas!”
“Zeus! It’s ti you carried the heavens yourself!”
Atlas stord into the chamber, smashing Zeus into a pillar with his imnse strength.
The King of the Gods tumbled through the rubble, groaning in pain—only to rise and find , still veiled by the Kynee, waiting for him.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
The Bident pierced his shoulder, but Zeus gripped it tightly, unleashing a bolt of lightning straight into .
CRACKLE!
Agony rippled through my body, and I gritted my teeth.
Damn. That hurt. The Kynee wouldn’t protect anymore.
“Surrender, Zeus. Poseidon isn’t here, and three of Iapetus’s sons stand with .”
“Heh… Did you crave the throne so badly, Hades?!”
“Of course I did. Soone has to control the unruly gods, and clearly, it isn’t you.”
“What?!”
“You’re finished. Atlas will see to it that you carry the heavens.”
I removed the Kynee, stepping into view.
Zeus bellowed with laughter.
“Hahaha! If you want the throne, take it by force!”
“I intend to.”
Atlas, Epitheus, and I closed in, determined to finish what we started.
*****
The battle at the palace of Olympus ended before long.
After all, everyone had witnessed Zeus subdued by my hand.
A surprise attack that ruptured his groin, Zeus’s failure to reclaim the Astrapé until the very end, and the combined assault of one of the Three Major Gods—myself—and the mighty Titans, Atlas and Epitheus.
With all that, such an outco was inevitable.
Of course, I hadn’t co out unscathed, but my injuries were far less severe than Zeus’s.
“L-Lord Zeus…!”
“Damn it! It’s over! Father has finally fallen!”
“Lord Hades…”
“Drop your weapons. From this mont on, I am the King of the Gods.”
While the gods of the Underworld swiftly took control of the battlefield, Hera arrived at the ruins of Olympus.
She wasn’t late by any ans, but it seed Iris had delayed her briefly outside.
Loyalty to Zeus, bitterness over his countless infidelities, and the betrayal of Iris—her most trusted confidante.
Hera’s mind must have been a tangled ss.
Especially considering her history—she had once conspired with Poseidon to stage a rebellion of her own.
“Hera.”
“Hades… You actually started a rebellion…”
“I made a promise to Iris. I won’t harm you. Remain as the goddess of marriage—and show more kindness to those burdened with unwanted children.”
Leaving Hera behind with a complicated expression, I walked toward Hestia, who sat gloomily in a corner of Olympus, tending the hearth.
Despite the chaos of the battle, she had never left her post, her eyes fixed on the sacred flas.
As I approached, she pouted slightly and looked up at .
“Hestia.”
“Sigh… Hades. I wanted you to visit Olympus more often, but…”
“Not like this?”
“…I don’t believe you did this just because you wanted the throne.”
“I couldn’t stand idly by in the Underworld any longer. Thank you for staying out of the fight.”
Hestia, with her warm deanor and role as the keeper of the hearth, was a far stronger goddess than most gave her credit for.
While she didn’t rival Hera in power, I had witnessed her strength firsthand during the Titanomachy.
If she had sided with Zeus, things would have been far more troubleso.
Hera’s absence and Poseidon’s failure to appear had also been strokes of fortune.
It seed the Fates truly favored my rebellion.
*****
After the rebellion against Olympus, I ascended to the throne of the gods.
Poseidon arrived late and was utterly shocked, but by then, Olympus’s authority had already fallen into my hands.
Crackle—!
With Zeus’s Astrapé and Scythe—the most powerful weapon of Olympus—now in my possession, even he wouldn’t dare resist .
Of course, this victory wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Titans like Atlas and Protheus.
Seated on the golden throne, holding the royal scepter, I began issuing my commands.
“Zeus is hereby sentenced to bear the heavens in Atlas’s place.
As promised, Epitheus’s family will be granted immortality.
The Hecatoncheires, who guard Tartarus, shall now receive regular updates on the world’s affairs.
Furthermore, all Olympian gods will take turns assisting with the duties of the Underworld…”
It was ti to change everything that had gone wrong until now.
These were responsibilities that Zeus should have fulfilled long ago, but he abandoned them in favor of chasing won.
“And from this mont forward, all acts of cruelty toward mortals are strictly forbidden.
Cursing, killing, raping, or tornting mortals without just cause will be punished with forced labor in the Underworld.
While righteous punishnts for wrongdoing will not be restricted, any unjust actions against mortals will be t with consequences.
The goddesses Mnemosyne and Dike shall oversee these judgnts, and if any claims of unfairness arise, I will personally preside over their trials.”
“Uhm…”
“Ahem.”
The expressions on the faces of the Olympian gods were hard to describe.
What? Was it so strange for , the one who dethroned Zeus, to issue such decrees?
“This also applies to the demigod children of the gods—they must be properly disciplined.
Furthermore, any misconduct among the gods themselves will not be tolerated.
Now, regarding the recent incident involving Aphrodite…
She, who committed adultery despite having a husband, shall spend ti in the Underworld for deep reflection.
As for Ares, he will take over guarding the entrance to Tartarus in place of the Hecatoncheires—for five years.”
When power shifts, cleaning up the aftermath is always the hardest part.
Political retribution or settling old grudges is often inevitable.
Still, aside from Zeus, I decided to keep the punishnts for the other gods limited for now.
I lightly set down the scepter, easing the tension in the room.
“I understand that today’s events have left many of you unsettled and full of questions.
But I hope you can see this not as an act of personal ambition but as a decision made for the sake of the world.
I will not hold past sins against you.
However, from now on, I expect all gods to be mindful of their actions and fulfill their divine duties with responsibility and integrity.”
Clap, clap, clap!
The gods applauded as I finished speaking.
So did so reluctantly, their expressions stiff, while others seed genuinely hopeful that my rule would be better than Zeus’s.
Of course, there might still be gods harboring dangerous thoughts—Poseidon, for example.
But with my legitimacy, the support of the gods, and overwhelming power, no one could possibly challenge now.
From this day forward, I, Hades, shall rule Olympus as its king.
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