Side Story – The Rebellion of the Underworld (1)
Recently, the atrocities of the gods have reached an extre.
“Sniff... sob... Lord of the Underworld. Poseidon forced ...”
“…I see. In the Underworld, I will ensure you are at peace, so rest here comfortably.”
The departed soul who just left was a victim of Poseidon. Not long ago, there was a mortal who died after simultaneously suffering Zeus's "love" and Hera's jealousy.
There are countless victims arriving in the Underworld: Callisto, who suffered under Artemis, Zeus, and Hera; Lamia; and many others whose nas are no longer rembered.
Not only male gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Apollo, but even goddesses have acted unjustly.
Selene, who fell in love with the mortal Endymion and forced him into eternal slumber; Hera, who tornted countless mortal won and their illegitimate children because of Zeus’s affairs.
The number of immortals committing atrocities against mortals is simply too high.
Even when they cross the River of Lethe, the victims do not lose their mories and pour their grievances onto .
“Haa…”
No matter how many tis I’ve warned the gods, nothing changes. Talking to Zeus is a futile effort.
How can I stop the immortals’ wickedness? Even if they are my kin bound by blood… there’s a limit to everything.
There’s an old saying about how one favors their own, but I’m starting to feel the need to gather them all and deliver a proper punishnt.
“Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Hers has arrived.”
“The ssenger god? Let him in.”
Hers, who descended into the Underworld, wore a deeply unpleasant expression.
What happened in Olympus this ti to make him look like that?
Recently, natural disasters—volcanic eruptions, torrential rains, earthquakes—ravaged the mortal world, sending a flood of souls into the Underworld.
And now, Olympus itself is causing trouble. My head truly aches.
“Greetings, Uncle. The reason I’ve co is… there’s been a civil war among the gods in Olympus.”
“A civil war? What are you talking about?”
Atrocities against humans were bad enough, and now they’re fighting amongst themselves? What is Zeus even doing?
I listened to Hers as he explained.
“It was bound to happen eventually…”
Hers sighed heavily, as though the weight of Olympus rested on his shoulders, and began to tell the story.
* * *
The marriage between Aphrodite and Hephaestus was, from the very start, a union forced upon them.
Thus, Aphrodite frequently had affairs with Ares and other gods.
Of course, Hephaestus wasn’t unaware of his wife’s infidelity. Once before, he had caught Aphrodite and Ares in a net and humiliated them.
But this ti, things were different.
Hephaestus had once again caught his wife and Ares in the act, entering the scene while they were together.
Furious, Hephaestus swung the hamr he held straight at Ares’s head, and the god of war collapsed from the blow.
This should have been the end of the matter. However, Ares refused to back down this ti.
“Damn it! Why did you even get married when Aphrodite doesn’t love you? You’re just an ugly, crippled god!”
“What did you say?! Are you asking to be beaten to death today, Ares?!”
“N-no…! Stop it!”
Hephaestus is the god of fire and volcanoes.
Though he is often absorbed in his work as a blacksmith, his combat strength ranks among the highest of the Twelve Olympians.
In other words, Ares could never hope to win against him.
What’s more, Hephaestus had justification on his side. Yet, for so reason, Ares didn’t back down this ti.
“If strength were all it took to win Aphrodite, Father Zeus would have claid her himself! Aphrodite and I love each other!”
“Father Zeus gave Aphrodite to . It’s you who refuses to accept it and continues these disgraceful acts!”
The god of war and the god of fire glared at each other, fists flying. Olympus descended into chaos.
Roaring flas and Ares’s violent power clashed, destroying massive buildings.
As the commotion spread, other gods joined the fray.
Aphrodite, unwilling to give up her love, took Ares’s side, while Athena, who had always disdained the two, sided with Hephaestus.
Poseidon, who happened to be on Olympus, also supported Hephaestus. anwhile, Eros flew in to shield his mother, Aphrodite.
At this point, the infidelity no longer mattered.
The conflict escalated as the gods unleashed their long-held grievances against each other.
“Marriage is supposed to be with soone you love! How could a forced bond ever work?”
“Eros, is that why you recklessly shoot golden arrows? Because of you, I… with Daphne…!”
“Athena! Are you going to reprimand again because of your personal feelings?”
“Do you ever consider how recklessly you fight in my wars, Ares?”
“It’s because those young ones are claiming Aphrodite! She should’ve been given to , the lord of the sea, from the start…”
“Guys, please… stop…”
Hestia, the only one maintaining her composure, tried to diate with a weak voice, but it was no use.
In the end, a powerful bolt of lightning struck between the bickering gods.
KRRRAAAACK!
“Stop this at once! What kind of disgraceful behavior is this among gods?”
Zeus finally intervened, hurling a thunderbolt to forcibly end the argunt.
* * *
As Hers recounted the events to this point, I raised my hand to stop him and asked a question.
The absurd chaos that unfolded in the heavens was unbelievable, but Zeus would have diated well, wouldn’t he?
“If Zeus intervened, he would have resolved it properly. The guy acts odd sotis, but he’s good at diating in situations like this, isn’t he? So why don’t you head back to Olympus and…”
“Oh, about that. After Father finished diating, Lady Hera barged in, fuming, because she discovered evidence of Father’s infidelity.”
“…Again?”
“Yes. So Father’s authority completely collapsed…”
Zeus had ssed with mortal won again, hadn’t he?
This fight between Ares and Hephaestus was, of course, about Aphrodite’s love.
But on top of that, Zeus—of all people—had lost his authority due to an enraged Hera. Who would trust a god of adultery and rape to diate a lover’s quarrel?
“I get it now. So they’re still bickering, aren’t they?”
“Yes. The anger of the gods is even affecting the mortal world…”
“Wait, is that why there have been so many natural disasters and an overflow of the dead here in the underworld?”
“That’s right. But more importantly, Father asked Uncle Hades to serve as a temporary diator…”
When Hers said that, I couldn’t suppress the rising fury any longer. My divine power flared up, and a roar escaped my lips.
“‘More importantly’? Do you have any idea how many souls have flooded the underworld because of Olympus’s petty love quarrel?! How many tis must mortals suffer and the gods of the underworld be burdened with more work because of Olympus’s foolishness? And now Zeus, who lost his own authority, expects to diate? Does he think this is a joke?”
“Well… that…”
“Let guess, Hers. You’ve also been after Aphrodite, haven’t you? Be honest. Did you think that if Ares and Hephaestus were out of the picture, you’d get a chance with her?”
“…Actually, we already have a child. His na is Hermaphroditos…”
“I don’t want to hear another word! Get out of my sight!”
“Yes, y-yes!”
Hers bolted away in terror, and as he disappeared, I began to regain a semblance of rationality.
Sigh. I need to calm down and think things through.
So let’s summarize this once again.
Ares and Aphrodite’s affair angered Hephaestus, who then fought Ares. Other gods joined the fray, splitting Olympus into factions. Zeus tried to diate, but Hera, furious over his infidelity, undermined his authority. This foolish quarrel caused natural disasters in the mortal world, leading to a flood of deaths.
CRACK!
“Hoo… calm down, calm down…”
My foot had unknowingly stomped a hole into the audience hall’s floor.
I am the ruler of the underworld. I must always remain calm and make rational decisions. First, I’ll go to Olympus, scold those brats thoroughly, and…
Knock, knock.
“Who’s there?”
“Lord Hades. A mortal woman has erged from the River Lethe without losing her mories. She’s weeping, claiming
that Lord Zeus did sothing horrific to her. How should we handle this?”
That’s it. I can’t take it anymore.
The underworld is already overflowing with work, and those fools above are tornting mortals without restraint? There’s a limit to everything.
Scolding them won’t be enough.
No—this calls for a complete overhaul.
I need to overthrow Olympus.
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