The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 152: Gigantomachia – Preparation

“Lord Hades. The god Hermes has come to see you.”

“Let him in.”

Today, the messenger god Hermes came all the way to the underworld, so I let him in, but his demeanor seemed unusual.

The playful god, always brimming with mischief, now wore a face more serious than I’d ever seen.

“Lord Zeus has announced he will attack the Phlegraean Plains tomorrow. I’ve come to deliver a message asking you to attend the meeting that will be held today.”

“…Tell him I will ascend to Olympus shortly.”

“Yes, Lord Hades.”

The moment I confirmed my response, Hermes disappeared swiftly.

He was probably rushing off to deliver Zeus’s summons to all the gods scattered across the seas and the earth.

Though this declaration of war from the king of the gods was abrupt,

I wasn’t too surprised, having already received a letter a few days prior asking me to prepare for battle.

There was also advice to act as normally as possible so as not to alert the Gigantes or Gaia.

I took the transparent helmet, the kynee, which always rested beside my throne.

Reaching out my right hand, I summoned the two-pronged spear, the Bident, gripped it, and rose.

“Is anyone outside the audience chamber?”

“Yes!”

“Summon every god to the stronghold, except for the Hecatoncheires brothers guarding Tartarus. Not a single one is to be absent.”

“All of them…? Including Lord Charon and Thanatos…?”

“All of them.”

Thanatos and Charon are the busiest gods in the underworld,

but for an event of this magnitude, they must halt their duties for a while. The dead souls may panic, but there’s no other choice.

Tap, tap, tap.

With the sound of hurried footsteps from the messenger outside, I rose and moved toward Tartarus.

With the final battle approaching, I should remind the three brothers to secure Tartarus firmly.

As I headed down into the depths of the underworld, I saw the three brothers once again leaning and resting by the entrance to Tartarus.

Each of them had fifty heads and a hundred hands, and as usual, they started talking to me the moment they saw me.

“Hey, Hades. Visit us a little more often.”

“What news do you bring this time?”

“And speaking of which, isn’t there supposed to be a war with those so-called ‘Gigantes’...?”

“The war will begin soon.”

One hundred and fifty heads all fell silent at once.

Three hundred eyes rolled around, contemplating something.

They knew some of what was happening in the world outside. However, Gaia is their mother and benefactor.

If it were the Titans or Cronos, they might feel differently, but they probably bear no ill will toward Gaia.

“But I don’t intend to drag you into the war. The Gigantes are our enemies, not yours. However, as we march on the Phlegraean Plain, the underworld will be left almost defenseless. I ask that you keep an extra vigilant watch over Tartarus.”

“Hmm. Don’t worry about that! We’ll guard it just as we always do.”

“Anyway, good luck. Oh, is the goddess of luck on your side? Hahaha!”

“Still, I hope you win. I feel like the Gigantes must be quite similar to the Titans.”

I conversed with them briefly, responding to their words as needed.

Since I had come this far… perhaps the goddess of night will appear soon? She mentioned last time that she would support us.

Swoosh…

“Hmm?! Lady Nyx?”

"Lately, she’s been coming outside her abode quite often…"

Given that the Protogenoi had manifested in this place twice already, the Hecatoncheires brothers no longer seemed surprised.

* * *

Ssssshhhhh…

As before, darkness enveloped us from all sides. A wall of shadows rose between the three Hecatoncheires brothers and me, and the figure of the Protogenoi appeared once more.

The goddess of night, Lady Nyx, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, wore a faint smile on her lips.

“I greet you, Lady Nyx.”

“Hmmm… Yes. I thought it was about time you would come looking for me again.”

“…?”

“The plains where those Gigantes dwell have been quite noisy recently. Perhaps Gaia foretold the time of your battle with them? Heh heh…”

…Of course, this was something I had somewhat anticipated.

When a prophecy is involved, the chances of a surprise attack succeeding are slim.

Unfortunately for us, Gaia’s prophecy likely captured the war clouds brewing on our side.

This way, both sides will enter the fight fully prepared.

“That is correct. We will invade the Phlegraean Plain.”

“Yes, yes. Do your best. I’ll watch with pleasure… and if Gaia appears, as promised, I shall assist you.”

“Thank you once again.”

I lowered my head, feeling grateful for her willingness to keep the promise she had made last time.

Then, in a slightly shy… maybe even awkward… tone, she spoke. What was this?

“By the way… about what we discussed last time…”

I wasn’t sure what she was referring to, so I glanced up, only to see the Protogenoi’s face flushed red.

Why? Had I been rude? Had I somehow offended the primordial goddess…

“Must I spell it out for you?”

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“Hmph! If you don’t remember, then I won’t be able to help you.”

Lady Nyx crossed her arms and turned her head aside.

Oddly enough, she looked a lot like the sulking goddess Styx.

Trying to piece things together, I wracked my memory. If it was something we talked about last time…

It was before I acquired Uranus’s token—what exactly did I say?

I talked about the Gigantes and mortals… Ah!

“Of course, I will soon begin spreading the reverence of Lady Nyx’s grandeur among mortals. But first, I must earn Gaia’s recognition…”

“Hmm. You weren’t just about to forget, were you?”

“…The underworld’s affairs have been rather demanding.”

The narrow-eyed glare she cast was piercing.

No, it was actually charged with power, so I activated a slight divine aura as a shield.

“Fine. Now that you remember, you may go. When you need me, I’ll come to your aid, worry not.”

Lately, with all that’s been happening, I had indeed forgotten my proposal to Lady Nyx.

It was to build a statue of her in my temple and spread her influence as the primordial goddess of night.

As the shadowy veil lifted and I was once again met with the curious gaze of the 150 eyes that had witnessed my conversation with Lady Nyx,

I found myself contemplating the new statue of the goddess of night I would soon need to create in my temple.

* * *

After returning to the fortress of the underworld, I met the gazes of countless gods looking in my direction.

Before descending to the entrance of Tartarus, I had ordered the messenger to gather all the gods in the fortress to wait for me.

"As expected... the reason we've all been called here..."

"Lord Hades mentioned to us not long ago, didn’t he? That a war could break out within days, but we were to act as usual..."

"So, the time for war has finally come. Should we bring the Gigantes down to the underworld?"

"The Phlegraean Plain... That was near Thrace, wasn’t it?"

They seemed to already have an idea as to why they were summoned here. 

They were conversing with grave expressions, but upon noticing me, they fell silent one by one.

Silence spread in all directions, and a heavy tension filled the air.

The hero of prophecy had fully matured and become a god, all the gods of the underworld were gathered together, and I, fully armed, had returned from the entrance of Tartarus. There wasn’t a single god here who hadn’t already grasped the gravity of the situation.

Everyone here could feel the ominous winds of war.

I slowly walked forward, meeting the eyes of each divine being I passed.

From the lowest-ranking gods working at the edge of the underworld to the high-ranking gods whose names were widely known… every one of them.

"Hades."

"The time isn’t far off now, is it?"

"...The time to fight draws near."

Today, the three goddesses of vengeance looked more fearsome than ever, with blood-red eyes. Thanatos, though tired, had a piercing gaze, along with the other gods of death, Moros and Keres.

Hypnos, the god of sleep, stood with his arms crossed in silent contemplation, and Morpheus, the god of dreams, scratched his head.

"I can fight, too."

"Goddess of mint, this is not your place to intervene."

"...But still."

"This war… even high-ranking gods are in danger..."

“Last time, we were nearly defeated, but this time, we will succeed!”

Mente looked at me with hands clasped over her chest, while the goddess Styx tried to hold her back.

The goddess Lethe looked at me with calm eyes, and Persephone clenched her fists, biting her lip.

Their eyes all burned with a single purpose: to annihilate every enemy of the gods.

These gods, who support and assist me in ruling the Underworld, are always steadfast and reliable.

Clearing my throat, I looked at the gods and announced.

"As some of you have sensed, Zeus has declared war on the Gigantes."

"...!"

"After concluding the meeting on Olympus today, we’ll march to the Phlegraean Plain at dawn."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I could see the focus in all of their gazes fixed on my words.

The underworld itself seemed to tremble with the energy radiating from the many gods gathered here.

"Thanatos, Hypnos, and Charon will abstain from battle, given the heavy responsibilities they carry. Likewise, mortal-born or low-ranking gods will remain in the underworld due to the war’s risk."

Expressions shifted among the gods at my words.

Some accepted it, while Mente lowered her head sullenly, and Charon touched his chin, seemingly deep in thought.

“The Underworld’s forces will consist solely of gods and monsters who have already died. From the battles on Mount Etna, I realized that those slain by the Gigantes could not return to the Underworld and were annihilated.”

When the souls of the dead from the Underworld were killed by the Gigantes in the mortal world, they could not return and met a final death.

Whether this was the power of the Earth Mother, or an ability given to monsters that rivaled the gods, remains unknown.

And in truth, for gods wielding transcendent powers,

mortal allies could be more of a burden. Unless one intends to treat troops as expendable...

"Now, I will call out the names of those gods who will join me at the meeting on Olympus. First, the goddess of forgetfulness, the goddess of discord, and the goddess of the River Styx..."

I called the names of high-ranking gods and above.

Finally, I spoke of gathering an army of resurrected monsters, the prophecy to be delivered 

to the mortal realm, the defenses of the underworld during the battles, and so on.

After addressing these matters, I dismissed everyone, and, accompanied by the designated gods, crossed the River Acheron on the way to Olympus.

Heracles, the hero of prophecy.

The connection between the mortal and the underworld.

The cooperation of the Protogenoi, prepared for any unforeseen events.

With every element needed for victory in place…

I will surely sweep away all enemies and achieve triumph.