Hades,
also translated as Black Hades, Hades, Hadis, and so on, was the King of the Underworld in Greek mythology, brother to Zeus and Poseidon, and ruler over death.
There were rumors that Hades was the "Zeus of the Netherworld," an underworld deity conflated with Zeus or regarded as Zeus's incarnation in the Underworld.
In Ancient Greece, Hades belonged to the Chthonios gods, the gods of the earth and beneath it.
He had very few temples, with only one in the region of Elis. He was generally not among the most popular Twelve Olympians, but in the Nasuverse, he had kicked out the divine messenger Hermes.
Even in modern times, Greece's stamps of the Twelve Gods did not include Hades.
It was Plato who linked the Twelve Gods to the twelve months. He believed Hades should be associated with the final month, representing the souls of the dead, and only then did his reputation improve considerably.
Few people genuinely liked death, aside from lunatics and murderers.
Many people could not even manage to revere death.
In later legends,
most affairs of the Underworld were handled by other gods. Persephone oversaw rites for ghosts, the God of Death and Hypnos transported corpses, while the three judges sent by Zeus tried cases or reported them to Zeus, king of the gods.
Hades had relatively few duties. Ancient Greeks usually regarded him as the personification of the Underworld, the god of the Underworld.
He had another name, Aidoneus, meaning "Lord of Many Guests," and was the god who governed ghosts. At times, he was also a god subordinate to Persephone.
He had originally stolen a wife, only for that wife to get together with his own brother, leaving him reduced to being his wife's subordinate god.
Thaumas had initially wanted to place his faith in this King of the Underworld as well, but Hera was undoubtedly the better choice, since Thaumas had the greatest chance of coming into contact with Hera at the time.
"Greetings, honored Lord of the Underworld. Please forgive this mortal's disrespectful act. I apologize for what I have done." Thaumas lowered his head and knelt to admit his fault, not daring to look at Hades.
Since coming to Greece, aside from when he had taken Chiron as his teacher, he had never again bent his knees.
They said there was gold beneath a man's knees. Now that trouble had come knocking, it was time to cash it in. Using "money" to ward off disaster was the best choice.
This was different from before. What he had just done was no different from taking a dump on Hades's head. Most gods were petty; this time, he was truly doomed.
"Son of Apollo! I have already bestowed my grace upon you! Yet you have clearly pushed your luck! You brought this arrogant insect into my domain! And committed such an act of disrespect toward the gods! Do you truly think I would fear my nephew?!"
The enraged Hades ignored the kneeling Thaumas and immediately berated Orpheus instead!
"Orpheus, this is the last time I will show Apollo any consideration. Get out of the Underworld!"
At those words, Orpheus's heart sank. Looking at the furious Hades, he did not argue and silently moved to the side.
He could not help at this time. He had not expected Thaumas to be so bold, and could only plead for mercy later. If he dared to argue now, Hades might directly throw him out of the Underworld. Only by staying could he have a chance!
"Humph!"
Hades snorted coldly. No longer paying attention to Orpheus, he slowly descended from the air and walked before the kneeling human.
"Follower of Hera, raise your head and look at me," Hades said coldly.
Only then did Thaumas clearly see Hades's appearance.
He had short black hair and wore a black robe, looking exceptionally dashing. His forehead bore branch-like markings, while his face was flawless and immaculate, with delicate earring-like features.
"Do you know? Though I am the god who governs death, I also love humanity. All of us gods love humanity! But you—humanity whom I dearly love, humanity whom I have protected with all my heart! You have made the King of the Underworld lose all face!"
Every word from Hades brimmed with anger. He would not kill Thaumas, because the Golden Bracelet was flashing madly, as though declaring its ownership. He would not immediately provoke a conflict with five gods.
But he would teach Thaumas a harsh lesson. The King of the Underworld was already deeply displeased.
If it was merely a lesson, the gods would have nothing to say.
"Tell me, why did you fire that arrow!
With your relationships with the other gods, you could have persuaded them to come and speak to me.
But you did not. You fired it. Who gave you permission to shoot this arrow here?!" Hades nearly roared.
This had originally been a test the King of the Underworld had set for Thaumas. So long as he passed through Hell Gate, Hades would grant Thaumas's request.
But no one had expected such an outcome.
The King of the Underworld, who protected humanity, felt deeply betrayed. He believed the gods' efforts and goodwill had been repaid with ingratitude.
Hades held a bronze arrow in his hand—the very arrow Thaumas had fired!
Thaumas had thought the arrow had been blown apart. He had not expected it to remain after an eruption of divine power on that scale.
Still, it looked badly damaged. The immense divine power had already shattered it beyond recognition.
With a light squeeze, Hades snapped the arrow in two before Thaumas.
It fell at Thaumas's feet.
"What do you think you should do to atone?"
Thaumas gently picked up the broken arrow and put it away as a keepsake, then said:
"O selflessly devoted Lord Hades, you are the master of the Underworld, a noble god.
That you are willing to speak with a weak mortal already makes me feel incomparably honored!"
Then Thaumas rose, respectfully bowed, and said with deep reverence:
"Lord King of the Underworld! I will find a way to calm your anger, but it will take time."
Hades stared at Thaumas. In the end, his expectations for humanity overcame the anger in his heart. Moreover, Hades saw that night had arrived!
"Granted!" Hades uttered a single word.
Then, with a wave of his hand, he threw Orpheus's wife's soul to him and said:
"Seven days. This is the deadline I give you. After seven days, no matter what happens, Eurydice's soul will return to the Underworld!
For these seven days, I will grant you the right to freely enter and leave the Underworld. Eurydice will also live as though she were alive for seven days!"
"Thank you, Lord Hades!" Orpheus was overjoyed. He had not expected Thaumas to truly succeed. Their original plan had merely been to meet Eurydice and properly bid her farewell.
He had not expected to gain seven extra days!
Just as Orpheus wanted to say something more, he discovered that he had already appeared at the volcanic entrance to the Underworld. He had been sent out of the Underworld.
Then, after doing all that, Hades turned to Thaumas and said:
"Likewise, you have seven days. Before Eurydice returns to the Underworld, think carefully about how you will calm the anger of a great god!"
After saying that, he went to see Nyx. Hades's divine power had blocked Nyx, so he had to explain himself first.
"Of course, great King of the Underworld Hades!" Thaumas watched the King of the Underworld disappear and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
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