After the Typhonmachy - (1)
The whining was relentless. Yip! Yiiiiiiiip! Yelp yelp!
I stared down at the three-headed dog rolling onto its back, tail wagging so hard it was practically a blur. It did look a little cute like this, but… hm.
“My lord Hades, it’s the spawn of a monster. Shouldn’t we dispose of it? The thing already blocked one of my lighter strikes.”
Pan had a point. If it could withstand even that much, leaving it alive carried risks. Still, from what he’d told me, its survival instinct seemed far stronger than any bloodlust.
“Fine. Follow me to the Underworld.”
Yiiiiiiip! Yeeeelp!
The moment the words left my mouth the beast foamed at all three maws and began thrashing. Its stubby tail spun like a propeller while tears streamed from six wide eyes.
“I am Hades, King of the Underworld. I didn’t mean I was going to kill you and drag your corpse down—”
Yelp yelp! Woof woof!
“It says, ‘I will devote my complete loyalty to you…’” Pan translated, face slack with disbelief.
The tears had already vanished. The creature—clearly an expert at reading the room—now circled me with its tail spinning like a windmill. What a quick-witted little traitor.
I named the three-headed dog Cerberus and brought it back with me. I’d half-expected it to bolt the first chance it got, but the beast trotted along obediently the entire way.
What to do with it? The answer came easily enough. A guard dog. Plenty of souls tried to slip out of the Underworld and sneak back to the world of the living.
“Any soul that tries to leave without permission—bite it. Eating it is also acceptable.”
Grrrrr…
Cerberus gave a low growl of understanding and nodded all three heads. Its body was dark as midnight, hideously built, powerful, and those fangs carried venom. A perfect hellhound for the Underworld.
“For now I’ll give you a tour. Stay close.”
“Hah hah!”
All three heads swiveled busily, drinking in the scenery. The gloomy atmosphere of the Underworld seemed to suit the monster just fine.
Once we crossed the Lethe and the Styx, we would reach my citadel.
“Hades is coming… Hades is not coming… Hades is cooooming…”
What in the realms was that?
Someone was crouched beside the sacred River of Forgetfulness, muttering to herself. Lethe. The goddess herself.
“H… Hadeeees…”
The moment she spotted me, the goddess of the Lethe sprang up and sprinted over.
She collided with my chest in a soft, warm embrace.
“I waited here the whole time… You’re not dead, are you…?”
The sudden press of divine skin against my battered ribs made me cough violently.
“I might be in a moment.”
“Ah! I’m sorry!”
I was immortal, of course, but Typhon had still left me aching all over. Especially the chest. If she could just give me a little space—
“Ichor… you’re bleeding ichor from your mouth!”
Back inside my citadel in the Underworld, I sat upon the throne listening to reports of everything that had happened while I was fighting Typhon. The battle had shattered the land around Olympus; countless lives had been lost. The resulting flood of souls had temporarily overwhelmed the Underworld’s bureaucracy.
With the workload skyrocketing and the highest authority absent, everyone’s fatigue had reached breaking point. Which explained why Styx now stood before me with dark circles under her eyes, openly scolding her own husband.
“How could the Lord of the Underworld personally charge onto a battlefield like that…”
Olympus could have handled its own mess. There had been no need for me to risk a fight that left me coughing up ichor. Zeus could have dealt with it. I had already restored his tendons as a courtesy—surely that was contribution enough. Even if we were brothers, I had planned to collect proper compensation, but—
Ah. She wasn’t actually angry about the workload. She had simply been worried.
I was grateful for the concern, truly, but the endless lecture was starting to make my own eyes glaze over.
“Yes, yes. I was wrong. It won’t happen again.”
“…Haa.”
She finally ran out of steam.
“Still, I’m relieved you’re safe. You have no idea how much I worried while you were gone… Hic.”
Styx’s face flushed crimson. She covered her mouth and turned away, but I still caught the sight of clear tears sliding down her cheeks.
Why was she crying now?
The pointed stares from every direction became too much. I rose from the throne and pulled her into a gentle embrace, patting her back.
“Hah… Hades, you really shouldn’t make your wife worry like that.”
“To anger the mistress of the Underworld… such bold spirit. I could never manage it.”
“You might want to look at the other side as well…”
I ignored Thanatos and Morpheus’s commentary. Lethe was watching me with puffed cheeks, clearly displeased at being left out. Could everyone please stop acting like I was running some kind of divine harem? I barely had time to meet anyone, let alone—
“What’s with that look? It’s making me uncomfortable.”
“It’s nothing, my lord.”
“More importantly, why did you bring that monster here?”
Morpheus pointed. Cerberus sat obediently at my feet, waiting for orders.
Let’s see… I could station it at the gates leading to the underground world. That should prevent any more souls from slipping out.
“But it’s a monster,” Morpheus insisted. “Something that dangerous will eventually grow strong enough to betray—”
“No need to worry about that.”
I had already granted Cerberus a portion of the Underworld’s own power, shifting it closer to a divine beast than a mere monster. Its violent nature remained, but it would never flee the Underworld or disobey my commands.
“What happened to Typhon?” Lethe asked, arms folded.
Zeus had personally sealed the creature’s body beneath Mount Etna. I had hurled the severed heads into Tartarus on my way back.
“Hades! You damned rat! Where is my body?!”
“At the bottom of Mount Etna.”
“Graaaargh! Put my head back on my body right—AAAAAAGH!”
I was a little concerned the body might rampage under the mountain, but I could always patrol the surface now and then. The gods of Olympus would keep watch as well. Typhon’s body would never break free. At worst it might thrash hard enough to cause minor earthquakes.
“Good grief… body under a mountain, heads in Tartarus…”
“When you do things like this, I’m reminded that you really are the god of the Underworld… Though sometimes I do wonder why you occasionally…”
Thanatos trailed off the moment our eyes met and quickly looked away.
“Ahem. Hermes has recovered and plans to return to Olympus. He wants to thank you personally before he leaves. Would you mind stopping by?”
Right. Hermes.
When I entered the area near the entrance of the Underworld where the injured Hermes had been treated, I found the messenger god already standing there grinning, completely healed. Typical divinity—recovered in the blink of an eye.
“Uncle Hades! I heard you defeated Typhon!”
“Looks like you’re fully recovered.”
With the Caduceus staff of intertwined serpents and his winged sandals back in place, he once again looked like the Hermes I knew. When they had carried him in covered in blood… well. It hadn’t been pretty.
“Thank you so much for helping Olympus. Father will surely reward you generously!”
“No need for rewards. Just take this Scythe back with you on your way out.”
I had accidentally brought Cronus’s old weapon all the way back to the Underworld. It needed to be returned.
“Ah… so this is the Scythe. I’ve never seen it before.”
“Zeus will know what to do with it.”
Hermes accepted the adamantine Scythe with both hands and turned it over with obvious fascination. As a younger god, he had never witnessed the weapon that had once been Olympus’s greatest treasure.
“You’re not going to use it yourself, Uncle?”
“It was never mine to begin with.”
The scythe simply didn’t suit my hand. I could use any weapon after the long war with the Titans, but swords and spears felt more natural. No matter how powerful a weapon, it couldn’t display its true strength in the hands of an unskilled user. This belonged with Zeus.
I shook my head and jerked my chin toward the exit. Hermes took the hint and prepared to leave.
“Haha. Then this messenger of all gods will take his leave. Next time I visit the Underworld I’ll be sure to bring you a proper gift—”
Yes, yes. Off you go. Your son was worried too.
As I watched the floating Hermes rise into the air, one of the soul soldiers came running up to me.
“Lord Hades! The goddess of the rainbow, messenger of Olympus, has arrived at the entrance!”
Iris had been visiting quite often lately. With Hermes bedridden, Zeus had no choice but to send her.
After a short wait the goddess with beautiful wings entered, radiant as ever.
“It is good to see the master of the Underworld once more. My lord Zeus wishes to repay you for joining the battle against Typhon. He asks that you visit Olympus.”
Come to Olympus? I wished he would stop making me run back and forth. I was not his subordinate. My frown must have been intimidating, because Iris broke into a nervous sweat and hurriedly added more details.
“Hephaestus said that to present you with a proper weapon, it must be forged in his personal workshop… Also, since Typhon has been defeated, a victory banquet will be held on Olympus. If you could attend and grace us with your presence…”
So Zeus had ordered Hephaestus to craft me a weapon. I already had the Styx sword, but the idea of an Olympus banquet was tempting. It had been a while since I enjoyed myself among the clouds. Besides, with so many gods gathered in one place, it might be wise to observe the atmosphere and watch for any brewing trouble.
The Underworld’s affairs were stable enough now. The workload was manageable compared to the great flood. I could afford to step away for a short while.
“Very well. I’ll go immediately.”
“Then I shall guide you, Lord Hades.”
Iris bowed, then summoned a rainbow bridge connecting the Underworld to Olympus. It really was an enviable power no matter how many times I saw it.