Sisyphus... Thanatos's Tale - (1)
Sisyphus... Thanatos's Tale - (1)
The peaceful world of the living. Sisyphus, the demigod born to Aeolus, the god of wind, and the human woman Enarete. King Sisyphus, who founded Corinth, was cunning and full of tricks. Many anecdotes showcase his cleverness, particularly his encounter with Autolycus, the demigod son of Hermes, the messenger and thief god.
Autolycus, who stole without being caught thanks to the powers granted by Hermes. Sisyphus, whose cattle had been taken, confronted him.
"Look here—these cattle have my name carved into their hooves. They're mine, and you're the thief."
"Shut up! Your men must have carved them secretly!"
By carving his name into the hooves beforehand, Sisyphus succeeded in exposing Autolycus's theft. Though Autolycus had used his powers to change the cattle's sex and color, he had no defense against such clear evidence.
Confident in his own wit and wisdom, King Sisyphus made one fatal mistake...
"Are you Asopus, the river god?"
"What business does the King of Corinth have with me?"
"I know where your daughter Aegina has disappeared to."
"What? You know where my daughter went?"
"If you provide Corinth with a clear spring, I'll tell you."
The river god Asopus was persuaded by the confident Sisyphus. To find his missing daughter, he gestured lightly and sent fresh spring water flowing into the city.
"Your daughter was abducted by Zeus."
"W-what?! Is that true?!"
"It is. Follow this mountain path and you'll see Zeus and your daughter."
Thus the river god hurried along the path Sisyphus had indicated. And soon...
"A... Father... Sob..."
"Lord Zeus! How could you do this?! Aaaagh!!!"
"Ahem. I shall take my leave now."
He witnessed Zeus forcibly violating his daughter Aegina, and Aegina weeping in sorrow. Though he raged at the fleeing Zeus, it was already too late. But that wasn't the end of it. Zeus had noticed Sisyphus's actions. Naturally, the king of the gods flew into a furious rage, turning the tables on him.
"How dare a mere human meddle in the affairs of the gods! Tell my brother Hades to send Thanatos—there's a grave sinner to be taken!"
With the king of the gods behaving like this, Olympus's future looked very dark indeed...
* * *
This was the dark underworld. Thanatos, the god of death, who was always exhausted from sending countless avatars to the world above, resided here. The god, appearing as an old man with black wings, was delighted by the unexpected assignment.
"Thanatos. Word came from Zeus. He wants you to drag some grave sinner down to the underworld."
"Is there a human who's committed such a great sin, Hades?"
"Who knows...? He specifically asked for Thanatos to be dispatched to Olympus for a while... I hope you'll go."
"To Olympus? It's been ages since I've been there. Thank you."
"Still, you must return quickly. We don't even know if this human actually committed a crime..."
Thanatos rarely had reason to ascend to Olympus. He was always too busy to attend the gods' banquets, and since the immortals dwelling there never died, there was never any need to harvest souls from that place. This was a brief vacation granted by Hades, who pitied his grueling labor. While capturing the sinner on Olympus, he could at least rest for a short while.
Thanatos silently thanked the Lord of the Underworld, who sometimes looked at him with pity. Instead of sending an avatar, he ascended to Olympus in his true form.
"Thanatos! You're finally here. That's the one! How dare a mere human interfere in the gods' affairs!"
Soon he spotted Zeus, pointing toward the underworld and raging furiously. If a human had meddled in divine matters... perhaps they'd stolen an offering or disrupted some divine decision. For now, Thanatos examined the human as the supreme god commanded.
There sat Sisyphus, the founder of Corinth, leisurely drinking wine in his palace.
"But what exactly makes this a grave sin..."
"Ah, I know that human somewhat, Thanatos."
Thanatos's question to Zeus was cut off by a voice from beside him. It was Hermes, the messenger of the gods, holding his caduceus. Usually cheerful, he wore a sullen expression today as he spoke to Thanatos.
"He used his abilities to outsmart my son. My own gift of thievery... Tsk. He must have offended Father again this time."
Thanatos found the messenger god's irritable attitude toward a human somewhat understandable. Well, the man must have done something. And if Zeus was saying so, what did one insolent human matter? The judges of the underworld—Hades and the three Minos brothers—would handle the rest anyway.
Thus, Thanatos spread his black wings and flew leisurely toward the palace of Corinth.
* * *
This was the palace of Corinth. Sisyphus spoke in secret to his wife and queen, Merope.
"Zeus will surely hold a grudge and send Thanatos after me."
"What...? Then what do we do?"
"Listen carefully, my dear. Even if I die, do not hold a funeral. Understood?"
He had predicted Thanatos's arrival and prepared in advance. After warning his wife to be ready for any eventuality, Sisyphus hid behind the bedroom curtains with a large club made of cornel wood, waiting for Thanatos.
Soon, the god of death, Thanatos, entered the bedroom to take Sisyphus to the underworld. Sisyphus gripped the club tightly, ready to strike the moment Thanatos drew near. However...
'You think you can evade my senses? And with nothing but a club? Has this fool lost his mind?'
Thanatos was not unaware. Though Sisyphus was a demigod, he possessed no power beyond his wit and cunning. Thanatos, on the other hand, was no mere lower god—he was the eldest son of Nyx, the goddess of night. An ancient deity older even than the three chief gods, respected by Hades himself, the Lord of the Underworld. As the personification of death, Thanatos possessed immense strength in his grasp. He sneered at the foolish human.
Step by step. Thanatos naturally entered the foolish human's bedroom. Thinking the moment had come, Sisyphus leapt out and swung the cornel wood club with all his might.
"Thanatos! You've finally appeared! Take this—"
Whoosh—
The club flew far too slowly for the senses of a high-ranking god who harvested souls. Seeing the foolish human gritting his teeth and swinging at a god, Thanatos let out a small sneer, then suddenly had another thought.
'Wait. If I just let this fool hit me and pretend to fall... couldn't I rest a bit longer?'
Thanatos had never once rested since being born as Nyx's eldest son. Death occurred constantly in the world above, so he had to harvest souls every single day. The one here now was his true body, not an avatar. If he feigned being struck down by this fool, he could rest. But he hesitated, wondering if he could truly neglect his duties even briefly. If he slacked off in harvesting souls, the burden would fall on his fellow underworld gods who worked alongside him.
'Haa... No. If I rest, who will do this work? As an elder god of the underworld, I must set an example...'
Countless colleagues who toiled alongside him flashed through his mind. No matter how hard his own work was, the other gods...
"Tsk tsk, Thanatos. Hard at work harvesting souls again today, I see. Heh heh heh..."
First, there was Hypnos, who had helped him a little before the great flood that wiped out humanity, only to mock him with false sympathy once the deluge began...
"We're lucky we're not Thanatos, Moros."
"Of course, Keres."
Keres and Moros, who were also death gods but had narrower domains and thus easier workloads.
"Lord Thanatos. I'm always grateful. If I had been the god of death instead..."
And finally, that fellow Morpheus, who always approached with a cheerful grin!
Come to think of it, these bastards never helped him—they just mocked him for having it easier than they did, didn't they? Thanatos's face instantly twisted into a demonic scowl. Then came the self-justification. The man was only a demigod, so it would be fine to claim he'd been caught off guard. If he rested just a little before resuming work, no one could complain. Yes, just one day... Just one day of rest! One day!
"Kuh... Ack!"
"—this! Huh...?"
Before the club even touched Thanatos's head, he performed an extremely unnatural act and collapsed to the floor. Naturally, the pitiful human Sisyphus, who had suddenly gained the dubious reputation of striking down a god, froze in the exact pose of swinging his club.
"....What?"
Sisyphus stared frozen for a moment, alternating his gaze between the club and the fallen Thanatos, before finally binding the god with a troubled expression and locking him in the basement. But King Sisyphus had no idea what consequences this act would bring. Imprisoning Thanatos's true body—the very personification of death—would affect the laws of the world itself. And starting the very next day, an emergency would break out in the underworld's management of the dead.