The Story of Phaethon - (2)
"...I will show a asure of rcy."
rcy for one who had killed thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of lives? What was Hades talking about?
"Those who co to the Underworld can never leave, especially one guilty of such a grave cri. However..."
Phaethon strained to listen to what would co next.
"If you wish, I can invite Helios to the Underworld for a final eting."
The mortal and immortal realms are strictly separated. While gods can traverse freely, Phaethon, a mortal who had caused such devastation, could not.
He had not dared hope for any reduction in his punishnt.
"I sent a ssage to Olympus and found out that Helios is mourning your loss in seclusion. However, if he can et you one last ti, he would certainly co."
"Thank... you."
Tears welled up in Phaethon's eyes. If he could see his father one last ti, to apologize...
"This is not rely out of sympathy for you. If Helios remains in grief and does not drive the sun, the world will fall into chaos."
Though Hades spoke pragmatically, Phaethon understood the underlying compassion. If the sun did not rise and the night persisted, more would die, strengthening Hades' dominion.
The more lives lost in the mortal realm, the more it benefited the lord of the Underworld. This was indeed an act of rcy.
Helios' Sun Palace.
The sun god Helios, grieving his son's death, had not left his palace. With the sun chariot undriven, the world was shrouded in perpetual darkness.
"Why hasn't the sun risen today..." "Lord Helios! Please have rcy and give us light!" "Lord Zeus..." "Sigh... All our crops will die like this..."
The mortal realm was filled with the pleas of countless beings.
Finally, Zeus himself ca to see him. Clearing his throat outside the palace, Zeus called out to Helios.
"Helios! Are you inside?"
But the grieving father did not respond.
"I am sorry for striking your son with lightning, but it was unavoidable."
Uncertain if Helios was listening, Zeus continued.
"The world is in disarray because you aren't driving the sun chariot. I understand your grief, but can you not fulfill your duty once more?"
Yet, the sun god remained silent. Even Zeus' apologies couldn't change Helios' heart.
"Sigh..."
Zeus considered breaking into the palace but shook his head, fearing his rash actions might worsen Helios' seclusion.
"Father! I knew you'd be here!" "Hers, what is it?"
The god of ssengers approached Zeus, who was troubled by the sun god's strike. Hers spoke confidently.
"Uncle Hades has offered to let Helios et Phaethon one last ti. If we explain this to Helios..."
"What? My brother will allow a eting with a dead soul...?"
Before Zeus could finish, the palace doors opened.
Out rushed a man with radiant golden hair and a golden robe, eyes ablaze with the heat of the sun.
The great sun god, Helios, erged, having heard Hers' words. In a rush, he approached the ssenger god.
"Hers! Is it true? Hades will let et my dead son!"
Light shone into the Underworld once more.
But this was different from the rampage of Phaethon's sun chariot. This light emanated from a single being, or rather, one god.
"Hades! Let see my son!"
It wasn't long after I sent a ssage to Olympus that Helios arrived in the Underworld. The more intense his emotions, the more the sun's energy radiated from him.
Even I could feel the heat, and the souls had already retreated far back.
"Phaethon is over there..." "Phaethon...!"
Helios hurriedly ran to the corner where Phaethon was. Thus, father and son were reunited.
"Sniff... Father... I'm so sorry..." "No, it's all my fault. I should have brought you to Olympus as soon as you were born..." "My reckless actions caused destruction on earth... even your sun chariot...," "Enough. Stop talking. I'm just glad I could see you one last ti..."
The two embraced tightly, tears flowing ceaselessly from their eyes.
"I was wrong. Please forgive and your mother..." "No, Father..."
But their ti together was limited. The living and the dead, the mortal and the immortal realms must remain strictly separate.
If I showed pity and revived Phaethon, Helios would start feeding his son nectar and ambrosia. Other gods would then plead with to save their beloved mortals.
"It's ti to say your final goodbyes. The guilty must face their punishnt." "Ah..."
I stepped aside to give them their final monts.
"Sniff..."
As I stepped back, I heard the sound of soone sobbing. Following the sound, I found a beautiful goddess leaning against the fortress walls, tears streaming down her face.
Styx...?
The goddess Styx, her face wet with tears, was covering her mouth as she wept quietly. Upon sensing my presence, she quickly turned towards .
"Ah... Hades..! Wait... don't look at like this...!" "Is it because of the oath by the River Styx?"
The goddess fell silent. The oath by the River Styx was an absolute vow that even the gods could not break.
A token of gratitude for Styx being the first to join our side in the war against the Titans. But every ti a tragedy resulted from the unbreakable oath, her heart...
"Sotis... I wonder. If there were no oath by the River Styx..."
I could guess her unfinished thought. The tragedy of Sele and Zeus, the current situation with Phaethon, all stemd from gods bound by the absolute oath of the River Styx.
"The tragedies that co from the oath are not your fault." "Even so... if only I had refused Zeus' proposal to use my river as the proof of the oath..."
We gods are immortal and possess powers incomparable to mortals. Even the goddess Styx, weeping before , could destroy an entire city with a simple curse.
Yet, we are arrogant and proud. The oath we swear on the River Styx is a shackle placed upon us.
Even Zeus, the king of the gods, must uphold it without question.
But the oath by the goddess's na doesn't only bring negative consequences. I planned to tell her about that now.
"The oath by the River Styx doesn't always lead to tragedy. Today's incident is an exceptional case." "Yes...?" "Perhaps you haven't had ti to listen to the prayers of the mortals recently. Shall we take a look together?"
n and won of all ages road the mortal world. In my temple, Styx's statue drew many visitors.
"Why did you bring here?" "Because... I swear by the River Styx that I love you. Will you marry ?" "Oh...!"
A man confessed his love in front of Styx's statue.
"I swear by the River Styx that I did not steal the sheep! Now it's your turn!" "I... I..." "If you have nothing to hide, swear as I did!" "The truth is... tis have been tough lately..."
People using the oath by the River Styx to reveal a thief.
"I swear by the goddess Styx that even if you are called by Thanatos..." "Oh, my... What a vow to make... Hmph... Then I swear too. Even if you..." An elderly couple pledging to cherish each other until death.
"Mortals swear to reveal the truth, profess love, and share promises." "Oh..." "If there were no weight to the goddess's na, such scenes would not be possible."
Mortals who break the oath are dragged into Tartarus after death. Fearful of this, they are always cautious, yet sotis use the oath to confirm each other's hearts.
"Mortals... often swear by my na..." "I was surprised too. Perhaps it's because your statue was placed in my temple?"
Styx, freed from the thought that her na only brought misfortune, looked up at . Her face, clearer than before, showed a hint of a smile.
After a mont of contemplation, the goddess, with tear stains wiped clean, smiled softly. Perhaps her guilt had lessened.
"Thank you, Hades. I always thought you were just teasing with your Helm of Darkness..." "Uh...? Testing the strength of my weapon is essential." "Pfft... Hehehe..."
I swear by the River Styx that I never teased with the Helm of Darkness.
But seeing the goddess's beautiful smile, I decided to stay silent. Approaching with a warm smile, the goddess Styx whispered closer.
"Don't tell anyone about today, okay?"
Her hand on my chest, her finger on my lips, it felt soft and ticklish.
I answered, as if enchanted by her.
"...I swear by the River Styx."
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