“…I will show you a bit of rcy.”
rcy, for soone like him who had probably killed thousands, maybe tens of thousands of lives? What was this about?
“Those who co to the Underworld after death can never leave, especially not a criminal as severe as you. But…”
Phaethon focused all his attention on the next words.
“If you wish, I can invite the god Helios to the Underworld so you can et him one last ti.”
The worlds of the living and the dead are strictly separated.
Though gods are free to co and go, it was impossible for a great sinner like Phaethon to et soone from the living world.
He hadn’t even dared to hope for rcy to lessen his punishnt.
“I sent a ssenger to Olympus and learned that the god Helios is in seclusion, mourning your loss. But if he could et you, he would surely co to the Underworld.”
“Thank you… so much.”
Tears welled up and fell from Phaethon’s eyes.
If he could see his father one last ti… to apologize...
“This is not entirely for your sake. If the god Helios remains in deep sorrow and does not move the sun, the world will be thrown into chaos.”
Though the god Hades said this, Phaethon knew the truth.
If the sun did not move, and the night continued without end, more people would die, increasing Hades' power.
The more lives lost in the world above, the more the lord of the Underworld would benefit.
This was indeed an act of rcy.
* * *
Helios’ Sun Palace.
The sun god Helios, grieving over the death of his son, had not left his palace.
Without the palace’s master to drive the sun chariot, the world above was left in continuous darkness.
“Why hasn’t the sun risen today either…”
“Lord Helios! Please have rcy and grant us light!”
“Lord Zeus…”
“Sigh… At this rate, all the crops will die…”
The world above was filled with the pleas of all living beings.
Eventually, Zeus ca to see him personally.
Standing outside the palace, Zeus cleared his throat and called out to Helios.
“Helios! Are you in there?”
But the grieving father gave no answer.
“I’m sorry that I had to strike down your son with a thunderbolt, but I had no other choice.”
Not knowing if Helios was even listening, Zeus continued to speak.
“The world is in chaos because you haven’t driven the sun chariot. I understand the sorrow of losing a child, but could you please return to your duties?”
But the master of the palace remained silent.
No matter what Zeus, the one who had struck down his son, said, it wouldn’t change Helios’ feelings.
“Hmm…”
Zeus briefly considered forcing the door open and entering, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
He feared that such a rash action might worsen Helios’ seclusion.
“Father! You were here, after all!”
“Hers, what’s the matter?”
It was the ssenger god Hers who approached Zeus, who was troubled by the sun god’s strike.
With a confident expression, Hers spoke.
“Uncle Hades has offered to let Phaethon et Helios one last ti. If we explain this well to Helios…”
“What? My brother will allow a eting with a soul already dead...?”
Before Zeus could even finish his sentence, the door to the Sun Palace opened.
And from within erged a god.
He was a god with radiant golden hair and golden garnts, and his eyes burned with the heat of the sun.
It was the great sun god, Helios, who had co out after hearing Hers’ words.
Looking extrely anxious, he rushed to the ssenger god and shouted,
“Hers! Is that true?! Hades will let et my dead son?!”
* * *
A bright light filled the Underworld.
But it was different from the rampaging light of the sun chariot Phaethon had driven.
This light was coming from just one person, no, one god.
“Hades! Let , let see my son!”
It hadn’t been long since a ssenger had been sent to Olympus, yet the god Helios had already arrived in the Underworld.
The more his emotions flared, the more the energy of the sun radiated from his body.
Even I could feel the heat, and the souls of the dead had already retreated far away.
“Phaethon is over there…”
“Phaethon…!”
The god Helios hurriedly ran toward a corner where Phaethon was.
And so, father and son were reunited.
“Hic… Father… I’m… I’m so sorry…”
“No, it’s all my fault. I should have taken you to Olympus the mont you were born…”
“Because of my reckless actions, the world… and even your sun chariot…”
“Enough. Say no more. I’m just glad I could see you one last ti…”
They hugged each other tightly.
Tears stread endlessly from the eyes of the father and son who had been estranged.
“I was wrong. To your mother too… Please forgive …”
“No, Father…”
But the ti they could spend together was limited.
The world of the living and the world of the dead, the dead and the living, must remain strictly separated.
If they pitied Phaethon and brought him back to life, the god Helios would start feeding his son nectar and ambrosia…
And then all the other gods would beg to bring back their beloved humans, just as in Helios’ case.
“It’s ti to say your final goodbyes. The guilty must be punished.”
“Ah…”
I stepped away to give them so privacy to say their last farewells.
* * *
"Sniff..."
As I stepped away, I heard the sound of soone sniffling from sowhere nearby.
The sound was coming from the outskirts of the fortress. I started walking toward it.
"Sniff..."
The goddess leaning against the fortress wall was shedding tears of sorrow.
Styx... the goddess?
The face of the goddess Styx, who was quietly crying with her hand covering her mouth, was wet with tears, and her hands were busy wiping away the flowing liquid.
She must have sensed my presence because she quickly turned to look at .
"Ah… Hades..! P-Please, don’t look over here!"
"Is it because of Helios' oath?"
The goddess Styx fell silent.
An oath sworn on the River Styx is an unbreakable vow, even for the gods.
It was a reward for the goddess who was the first to co and lend her strength in the war against the Titans.
But every ti a tragedy occurred because of an oath sworn on the River Styx, her heart...
“Sotis… I just think… If only the oaths on the River Styx didn’t exist...”
I could guess the rest of her thoughts.
The tragedy of Sele, the mother of Dionysus, and Zeus, and now the tragedy of Phaethon,
All were caused by the gods who could not break the absolute oath sworn on the River Styx.
"These tragedies are not your fault, my lady."
"But… if I had just refused Zeus' offer to use my river as proof of an oath back then..."
We gods are immortal and possess incredible power beyond comparison to mortals.
Even the goddess Styx, who is crying in front of now, could easily curse and destroy an entire city.
But because we possess such great power, we are arrogant and proud.
The River Styx, where any promise must be kept, is the shackle placed upon us.
Even Zeus, the king of the gods, must keep any oath sworn on it.
But not all vows sworn on the goddess's na bring negative results.
I was about to share this truth with the goddess Styx.
"The oaths sworn on the River Styx don't always lead to tragedy. Today's event is an unusual case."
"What...?"
"It seems you've been too busy lately to pay attention to the world above... but how about listening to the prayers of the mortals once again?"
The world above, where countless people of all ages walk around.
In my temple, where the statue of the goddess Styx stands, people still gather.
"Why did you call here?"
"Because... I swear on the River Styx that I love you. Will you marry ?"
"Ah…!"
A man confessed his love to his partner in front of the statue of the goddess Styx.
"I swear on the River Styx! I didn’t steal the sheep! Now it's his turn!"
"I... I..."
"If you have nothing to hide, swear like I did!"
"Well, the truth is... things have been difficult lately..."
People used the oath on the River Styx to reveal the thief who had stolen from them.
"I swear before the statue of the goddess Styx. Even if the old man is called by Lord Thanatos..."
"Oh, co on! There's no need for such a vow… But, well… then I too swear. If my wife should go before ..."
An elderly couple vowed to carry on with each other in their hearts even if one of them died first.
"Humans swear to reveal the truth, profess love, and exchange vows."
"Oh..."
"If the weight of the goddess's na didn't exist, we wouldn’t witness such scenes."
When humans break an oath sworn on the River Styx, they are sucked into Tartarus after death.
Though mortals feared this, they also used the oath to affirm each other’s hearts from ti to ti.
“Humans… they make oaths more often than I expected…”
"I was surprised too. Perhaps it's because a statue of the goddess has been erected in my temple?"
The goddess Styx, who had been thinking that oaths sworn on her na only brought misfortune, looked up at .
She seed more at ease now, her face more relaxed than before as she pondered for a mont.
A sowhat awkward silence passed, and then the black-haired goddess, who had wiped away her tear stains, smiled faintly.
Had the guilt-ridden heart found so relief?
“Thank you, Hades... I always thought you only played pranks on Kynee…”
“What...? Testing the durability of weapons is an essential task.”
"Pfft... Puhuhuhu..."
I have never once sworn an oath on the River Styx that I played a prank on Kynee.
But I chose to remain silent because I wanted to keep watching the beautiful smile of the goddess who was now laughing.
After laughing for a mont while covering her mouth, the goddess Styx stepped closer.
Her softly rising lips and the enchanting smile in her eyes...
"Please don't tell anyone about what happened today…"
The goddess, who had moved close to , placed one palm on my chest and her right index finger on my lips.
Both my chest and lips felt so soft that I was tickled by sothing.
I answered her as if I were entranced.
"…I swear on the River Styx."
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