(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 91
For a long time, the Underworld has been a scapegoat for various intentional or unintentional reasons, resulting in numerous rumors about who, without being named, wouldn't even recognize themselves as the protagonist.
For example, the recent legend of a certain god being shot in the shoulder by an arrow from Heracles.
Under the mocking gazes of the gods of the Underworld, Hades felt helpless. He was, after all, one of the few gods powerful enough to be the King of the Underworld, how could he possibly be injured by a demigod? Couldn't the god spreading the rumors use a little common sense?
The one who was actually shot was his attendant, not him… no, his attendant wasn't even hit, just his clothes were torn.
This is not my fault, absolutely not. ︶︿︶
"If you had known it would turn out this way, Your Majesty, you shouldn't have agreed to lend Cerberus."
In the past, Charon would have said this with a hint of sarcasm, but after regaining his memories, probably hurt by Denise's vow to become a virgin, and after a period of depression due to heartbreak, Charon had become much more composed. He rarely wore that sarcastic expression anymore, no longer using his sharp tongue to stir up trouble.
Of course, more importantly, Charon had finally stopped slacking off and was willing to settle down and complete his work diligently. That was truly commendable.
"I don't want to add any extra work." Hades's aura was somewhat tense, clearly thinking of something unpleasant.
Zeus had recently been sulking with Hera and was determined to make his illegitimate son a god. If Heracles failed, given Zeus's personality, he wouldn't give up easily and would likely cause even more trouble. It was better to just agree.
As for Zeus, Hades had long since given up on saying anything. As long as Zeus didn't cause him any trouble, he'd be willing to lend him a hellhound, or even just give him one.
"You want a hellhound? Here, take it all." (╯°A°)╯︵
Actually, after the vacant positions in the Underworld were filled, Hades should have been able to relax a bit, provided there wasn't another mass extinction of humanity. But then the Golden Arrow incident happened.
As a result, Hades' two most capable subordinates, Hypnos, the god of sleep, skipped work and went to Mount Olympus, leaving a huge amount of work unattended.
Thanatos, the god of death, didn't leave, but as a good boss, out of consideration for his subordinates' feelings, even though Thanatos himself offered to share the workload, Hades couldn't simply agree. Even if he didn't reduce the workload, he certainly couldn't add to it.
Therefore, this meant that Hades now had double the workload, plus to deal with his unlucky brother who never gave him a moment's peace and quiet, constantly causing him trouble—it was incredibly annoying.
So, comparatively speaking, his relationship with his other siblings was better; it really wasn't like those of them who had lived in Cthulhu together... Zeus's older siblings, who had lived in Noss's womb, resented him; a god who always caused trouble, who could possibly like him?
Oh, no, even ghosts couldn't like him.
"Then I regret to inform you, Your Majesty, that I have brought you some extra work. Several members of the royal family from each of the races in the Underworld have gone missing, including every kind of creature created by His Majesty Tartarus." Charon wouldn't come to Hades's temple unless something was wrong, and usually it was bad news.
So, in a sense, Charon was like a harbinger of doom to Hades; whatever he said brought misfortune.
(ˉεˉ乀)...Go away, Charon, get out of here! I don't want to see you.
What does this have to do with me? I'm just an innocent person reporting on my work, okay? Can't you refrain from taking your anger out on the gods? —By Charon, whose heart is heavy with sorrow
"Anything else?" Hades believed Charon's visit wasn't solely about this.
In the eyes of the gods, all non-divine beings were insignificant. Disappearance was simply a matter of chance; some god might be in a bad mood and kill them on a whim. What did it matter if they were members of the royal family—as long as they weren't gods, the number of their deaths didn't matter.
"Among the missing beings are several who currently serve in the Underworld; they too have disappeared without a trace." Just as Hades suspected, Charon's visit wasn't solely about the disappearances.
"Have you found out the reason?" Hades frowned after hearing this.
Hades didn't care whether those beings were dead or alive, but the disappearance of Underworld employees without a known reason was a serious matter.
"Obviously not." Charon quickly denied it. If he had found out, would he need to report it to Hades? He could handle that himself.
So why would a ferryman of the Styx have to deal with something as trivial as checking missing persons records? That's clearly not within his job scope! o(￣ヘ￣o)
Floating Life: Who told you to be idle? You deserve to be conscripted. ╮(╯▽╰)╭
Charon: I ferry the dead across the river every day, I'm never idle. ε=ε=(Angry Д)
Floating Life: You have time for dating but no time for work? Who are you trying to fool? Heartbroken? It's good to use that time for work.
Charon: That makes so much sense, I'm speechless... Wait, I used to... cough, I always squeezed in time, okay? (Almost blurted out "skipping work," thank goodness!)
Fusheng: Oh, good luck then, keep up the good work and keep squeezing in time, I believe in you!
"Understood, I'll handle this, you can go now." Hades hesitated for a moment, then took over the matter.
"Yes."