Money in Place, I'll Take Your Side! 2/3
The dark boulder was laboriously pushed to the top. Sisyphus, leaning back against the back of the boulder, bent down and moved a nearby pebble under the crevice to prevent it from sliding down the steep path.
Finally, as a blond convict carefully moved his body, this monument to humanity's deception of the gods was permanently fixed high above.
Sisyphus, having successfully completed his mission, strode back with a light step and a carefree smile on his face.
So this was the blasphemous fellow from the Kingdom of Corinth. Heracles and the others who had gathered around Samael, after hearing the ancient serpent's brief introduction, looked at this temporary guide with either curiosity or strangeness.
"I say, you've been toiling away in the underworld for so long, do you even know how to get to the endless plains on the other side of the River Agron, far upstream of the River Ledy in the underworld?"
Once everyone was present, Samael beckoned to Sisyphus and began to inquire.
"Let me think... Hmm, the simplest and most direct way is to take Charon's ferry Styx Ferry, and the Ferry Terminal is right ahead."
Sisyphus thought for a moment and answered seriously, but then looked at everyone and seemed a little troubled.
"However, if I'm not mistaken, you should be alive. Charon might not come to ferry you across the river, which is a bit of a problem..."
Samael was slightly taken aback. After a moment of investigation, he realized that the so-called Charon and the Teacher Ma from the Athenian Academy were only similar in pronunciation and had no connection whatsoever.
However, if there's no connection, it's even more troublesome to retaliate.
The Styx River system is intricate and vast, and if the ferryman doesn't come to pick up passengers, he really won't be able to find a better way in the short term.
"Use this..."
Just as Samael was having some trouble, seven Zeus golds, each radiating a unique charm, were tossed from mid-air in front of everyone.
What's going on here?
The ancient serpent looked at the Grim God of Death had inexplicably offered his help, and couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.
Thanatos looked up and glanced around at everyone. His gaze first lingered on his old acquaintance Sisyphus, and he nodded slightly. Clearly, the prisoner and the guard had developed a good relationship through their interesting cat-and-mouse game.
Then, those dark eyes that had been scanning the room turned to Heracles. As the indifferent expression on his face began to soften, his facial muscles twitched slightly, revealing a somewhat stiff smile.
"Your stepfather is your brother, and you live well here."
Hercules clearly recognized the figure before him, put away Zeus's gold, and nodded slightly in thanks.
Heracles' stepfather?
I remember now! The three Underworld Judge — Rhadamanthus!
Alcmene, the mother of Hercules, remarried to the Great Underworld Judge through the matchmaking of her son Heracles!
Good heavens! Her biological father was King of Gods Zeus; her stepfather was the Great Underworld Judge; her adoptive father was the King of Thebes; and her daughter was the granddaughter of the Great Hero Perseus.
Come to think of it, Heracles, that guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually has such a powerful background.
No wonder in Greek mythology, he was able to enter the underworld and rescue Theseus, who had been imprisoned by Hades for trying to steal King of the Underworld' wife.
From this perspective, Thanatos, God of Death's willingness to show goodwill was partly due to Heracles's influence.
Samael smiled, put away the gold coins, but stepped forward, bit his index finger, and raised his hand to draw a circle of golden wedge-shaped divine runes in mid-air.
"Thanks, but for everyone's sake, please stay here for a while."
The ancient serpent patted Thanatos, God of Death, on the shoulder with a bright and warm smile, but its tone carried an unquestionable air.
This was a secret operation; he wouldn't be foolish enough to entrust his safety to a relationship that had absolutely nothing to do with Thanatos and Heracles.
Oh ho, imprisoning God of Death? This guy's methods are even wilder than I imagined.
Sisyphus crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips, and a smug, amused expression on his face, showing no intention of pleading for Thanatos.
"You're looking for the Elysium? I can take you there..."
However, unexpectedly, Thanatos, God of Death, glanced over somewhere, remained silent for a moment, and then revealed their purpose in one sentence, and even offered to be their guide.
"That's great! Maybe the more people there are, the more lively it will be."
Samael glanced at the small, innocent figure behind him, smiled and agreed, extending his arms to invite Thanatos to go first.
He then grabbed Medea's arm and led the others to follow, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Thanatos's gaze lingered on this child the longest. Could it be that the legend of Medea becoming the Queen who would rule Elysium was not unfounded?
But what does this have to do with God of Death's sudden defection?
The ancient snake was completely baffled, so it temporarily suppressed its doubts and gave its teammates a wary look.
The group nodded in unison, then spread out slightly, forming a subtle encirclement around Thanatos, the traitor.
They arrived at the Ferry Terminal without any problems. Guided by God of Death, the seven Samael casually tossed the Zeus gold coin they had been hiding between their fingers into the rolling Styx River.
As ripples spread outwards, the sound of a long pole being used to stir the water came from the dark gray river surface, while the clear sound of water gradually grew closer.
Before long, a gloomy old man, dressed in tattered hemp clothes and with a hunched back, was holding a long pole and maneuvering the ghost boat slowly to the shore.
"Why is it you?"
Charon, Ferryman of the Styx, looked at Thanatos, God of Death, standing at the ferry Ferry Terminal and frowned slightly. When his gaze shifted to the people beside him, the old man cursed his bad luck inwardly.
"They even brought a group of living people with them?"
God of Death, with his usual poker face, calmly stated his request.
"Take us to the boundless wilderness. Do you know that place? Is there a problem?"
Charon stirred the water with his long pole, and a golden aura flowed from the bottom of the water into his mouth and nose.
The old man, like an addict, took a deep drag, seemingly intoxicated, and then, with a lingering sense of satiation, looked at the crowd. After a long while, he spat out a mouthful of blood with a vicious spit.
"You need to pay more!"
Samael's breath hitched, and he coughed violently, almost wanting to ask if the other person also had the nickname "Yanrun".
However, looking at the old face opposite him, which resembled withered tree bark and was covered with deep wrinkles, the ancient serpent decisively dismissed the idea, casually took out a bag of Zeus's gold from the spatial array, and threw it onto the ship.
The Styx Ferryman sensed the powerful faith contained in each gold coin, and immediately beamed with joy, eagerly inviting everyone to board the ship.
This is a precious item, blessed day and night in a large temple, enough for him to enjoy for a while.
Because the gods of the underworld are associated with death and suffering, they rarely receive offerings.
For some, things like this, which embody vibrant life and pure faith, are like an addiction that no one can resist.
Anyway, as long as you pay enough and get on the boat, don't worry about gods or ghosts. This is also how the Ancient Greece viewed Charon, the Styx Ferryman.
Therefore, in order to bribe this old man, the Ancient Greece would often place a few coins in the eyes or mouth of the deceased during the funeral.
Wasn't the spirit of the underworld supposed to be pure and simple? How come the common practices of the Age of Gods Underworld in various parts of the world are all the same—they're obsessed with money!
Furthermore, I must express my utter contempt for a certain Mesopotamian goddess. As the deity in charge of love and life, she was even more eager to plunder money and jewels than the demons and monsters of the underworld.
As Samael grumbled to himself, Charon, Ferryman of the Styx, raised his long pole, and the ferry, disregarding the Rules, sailed upstream against the current in the turbulent Styx.