The King of the Underworld is Tired

Carrying the letter and golden necklace I received from Pandora, I made my way to find the goddess Styx.

As soon as she saw me, she slowly emerged from the Styx River, where she had been submerged.

Her thin, wet clothes clung to her body, tracing soft curves, but…

I forced myself to look away since I had important matters to discuss.

“Hades, that necklace in your hand...”

“As you suspect, it is indeed Pandora’s necklace.”

I explained to the puzzled goddess Styx about Gaia’s prophecy and the matter concerning Prometheus.

I also told her everything, including that I would be leaving the underworld temporarily to persuade him.

“So, I’d like you to take care of the underworld for a while.”

“Hmmm... I’ll inform the other gods as well. Persuading Prometheus... I hope it goes well.”

“If Tartarus opens or something urgent happens, let Thanatos know...”

Persuading Prometheus is an absolute must.

This is the only way to deal with Gaia’s prophecy.

“Then I’ll head to Mount Caucasus, where Prometheus is bound.”

“…Do you have nothing else to say to me?”

“Ahem. It’s cold, so you should change into warmer clothes.”

She’s been acting like this more and more lately...

As I quickly turned and passed by, I could hear her softly muttering behind me.

I crossed the Lethe River and swiftly passed through the Acheron River, heading toward the entrance of the underworld.

Mount Caucasus is quite far from here.

Because of that, I had informed Olympus in advance and borrowed Iris.

As I emerged into the mortal world, the goddess of the rainbow bowed her head in greeting.

“Lord Hades, shall I take you to Mount Caucasus right away?”

“Yes, open the path to that place.”

Beyond the passage created by Iris’ gesture lay the towering mountain.

At the peak of that mountain, Prometheus would be bound.

* * *

Whhhhh—

As I crossed through the portal and arrived at Mount Caucasus, I felt the cold air.

The chilling wind from the high altitude bit at my skin.

Even though I was at the base of the mountain, I could feel the overwhelming divine power.

Since this was where Prometheus was bound…

There were precautions everywhere, meant to stop Gigantes, Gaia, and any unaware humans.

Peeking out from between the jagged rocks, an owl—Athena’s sacred animal—could be seen.

Its presence radiated a cool and serene divine power.

Even though this was a barren mountain, there stood the sacred tree of Demeter.

There was even a barrier that caused ordinary humans, not heroes, to lose their way and wander.

Swoosh—

After passing through the barrier, I continued up the mountain path.

Hmm. It seemed Olympus had set up a solid defense, so I was quite satisfied.

Near the peak, I scared off a lion sacred beast that bared its teeth at me,

And as I rounded a large boulder, I saw Prometheus.

His arms and legs were spread wide, tied to the rock wall,

Bound by chains crafted personally by Hephaestus, the Titan god slumped his head low.

“Oh... Hades. The great and merciful god has come, hasn’t he? Heh...”

As I approached, the middle-aged-looking man slowly lifted his head toward me.

With a twisted grin, he spat out his venomous words.

“How does it feel to be worshipped after showing a little mercy to humans?”

“It’s been a while. Let’s not joke around, Prometheus…”

“Heh heh heh…”

...This man hasn’t changed.

Before his fallout with Zeus, Prometheus fought alongside the gods during the Titanomachy, and his personality remains the same.

“Oh! If you go that way, the Titans will capture you... heh heh... go if you want...”

“Well, if it’s a prophecy, there’s no helping it.”

“It’s not a prophecy, just instinct.”

“Tsk tsk... If you keep using your divine power like that, you’ll end up being taken down by Cronos.”

“...Another prophecy?”

“Who knows? It depends on Poseidon’s thinking.”

“Oh, watch out! You’ll be in big trouble one of these days!”

“Hmmm... if it’s a prophecy…”

“No? It’s just a hunch.”

“...?”

Back then, we were inexperienced, fledgling gods,

While Prometheus was a seasoned Titan god and the strongest asset with the power of prophecy.

We all trusted his words, but his personality... well...

I suspect one of the reasons Zeus bound Prometheus was because of that.

“How can you remain the same even after all this time enduring punishment?”

“What, now that you’re the lord of the underworld, you can’t take a joke? Show me some mercy.”

After laughing for a while, Prometheus finally stopped and spoke.

“You came to persuade me to go against Gaia’s prophecy, didn’t you?”

* * *

"You knew all along, didn't you?"

"I am curious to hear what method the lord of the underworld has prepared. Go ahead, tell me."

He knew I would come, but does he not know the specific method of persuasion?

Well, that was always the nature of his prophecy.

He joined us because of his clear prediction that we would defeat the Titans, but there were times during the war when we struggled, as he couldn't see every detail.

"Prometheus, don't you care for humans like they are your own children?"

"Me?"

"If not, you wouldn’t have defied Zeus to give them fire."

"Oh..."

"The Gigantes created by Gaia are powerful, but they are the worst for humans. They eat them and sacrifice them without hesitation."

The Gigantes were made to focus more on strength rather than wisdom in order to drive us out after we defeated Typhon.

Their power is comparable to that of the Olympian gods, but they lean more towards being monsters.

"Well... are you underestimating me because I am bound here? If you look at how many humans have been sacrificed by the gods..."

"They are still better than the Gigantes."

"So, you admit that the gods are the lesser of two evils compared to the Gigantes?"

"...Yes, that's correct."

"Oh... Zeus would be quite displeased to hear that."

To be honest, how many humans have been sacrificed due to the whims of the gods?

Whether it was due to prophecy, a curse, or simply arrogance, the underworld is filled with those souls.

I cannot lie to the greatest prophet in the world.

What I need to persuade him is not sweet talk, but the truth.

I summoned the greatest weapon of the underworld, the Bident, in one hand.

And with it, I shattered the chains binding Prometheus.

Clang! Clatter. Thud.

The chains that bound him were created by Hephaestus under Zeus's orders.

But this Bident was also forged by the god of the forge, with even with more care.

As the chains that had bound him for so long were broken, Prometheus staggered slightly.

He looked at me, astonished.

"Hah. Will the king of the gods tolerate this?"

"I already spoke with Zeus before I came here."

As he dusted himself off and stood up, the Titan of prophecy examined me with curious eyes.

"What will you do if you gain nothing from me?"

"...Then it cannot be helped. From the start, your punishment was too severe."

"Hah... you would free me?"

Seeing the wise Titan so flustered isn’t a bad sight.

Now then...

"What is this? And this necklace... could it be?"

"These are Pandora's letter and necklace. I swear upon the River Styx that there was no coercion or threat involved."

He carefully examined the golden necklace I handed him, and then looked at the letter.

For a long time, Prometheus concentrated on the scroll as if analyzing every single word.

Shwooo-

Zeus's sacred animal, the eagle, flew toward Prometheus to feast on his liver.

As he was reading the letter, the eagle swooped down on him.

Thud. Flap. Flap.

But the sacred animal was quietly caught by the Titan of prophecy, who had just finished reading the letter.

The playful demeanor that had been there earlier disappeared in an instant, and Prometheus looked me in the eye.

"...Hoo."

A gentle breeze blew between us.

He took a deep breath in, then exhaled before speaking again.

"Hades, as you know, Gaia can predict the future at a level equal to mine."

"Which is why we need your help."

"She knows exactly what needs to be done to win the war against you all."

He released the eagle and continued speaking.

Noticing that the easy prey had regained its strength, the eagle quickly flew away.

"No matter how much you prepare... the gods will fall to Gaia's strike, even if I warn you in advance."

"Are you saying there's no way to avoid an attack?"

"Yes, and your plans will suffer a severe blow."

Even with Apollo, Selene, Helios, Demeter, and many other gods watching intently...

We still won’t be able to block a single blow? Will it be the Gigantes’ final assault, or something else?

"But after that..."

The instincts of the three main gods were telling me that Prometheus was about to open a path for us.

A strange aura seeped out from the half-lidded eyes of the Titan.

I could sense a prophecy that would interfere with destiny coming from him.

"If the mortal world and the underworld are connected, the gods will win."

Two worlds that were once separate—if they are connected... this is a certain prophecy.

Like a curse or a blessing, his words carried power.

"Zeus must have sent you to get an apology from me, right?"

Turning away from me, Prometheus stared up at the sky as if he had no more to reveal.

He stretched his neck briefly and then shouted out.

"Zeus! I apologize for the harsh words I spoke against you!"

Rumble...

As soon as Prometheus's shout stopped,

the sound of thunder, Zeus's symbol, echoed across the sky.

It wasn’t a prophecy, but harsh words.

Luckily, the statement about Zeus being overthrown like Cronos or Uranus wasn’t a prophecy.

It had merely been a provocation against Zeus for binding him to this mountain.

And by acknowledging that fact here...

Olympus has now eliminated one potential threat.

"Oh, and Hades, you might want to take care to keep your trousers loose! Heh heh heh!"

"What... what?"

Whoosh-

Prometheus left one last strange comment before transforming into a bird and flying away.