Displeasure of the Underworld King Towards the Hero

Hades, also translated as Aidoneus or Haides, is the King of the Underworld in Greek mythology, brother to Zeus and Poseidon, and the ruler of death.

It is rumored that Hades is the "Zeus of the Underworld," a chthonic deity either conflated with Zeus or regarded as his manifestation in the afterlife.

In Ancient Greece, Hades was considered a Chthonios deity, a god of the earth and the subterranean realm.

His temples were rare, with only one located in the region of Elis; he was generally not among the most popular Twelve Olympians, though in the Nasuverse, he usurped the position of the messenger god Hermes.

Even in modern times, the twelve-god stamp series issued by Greece does not include Hades.

It was Plato who linked the Twelve Olympians to the twelve months, suggesting that Hades should be associated with the final month to represent the souls of the dead, which significantly improved his reputation.

Few people truly love death, with the exception of some lunatics and murderers.

Many cannot even bring themselves to revere death.

In later legends, most affairs of the Underworld were managed by other deities: Persephone oversaw the sacrifices to the ghosts, the god of death and Hypnos transported corpses, and the three judges sent by Zeus presided over trials or reported to the King of Gods, Zeus.

Hades managed fewer affairs; he was typically viewed by the Ancient Greeks as the personification of the Underworld, the god of the Underworld.

He had an alias, Aidoneus, meaning "Lord of the Guests," the god who ruled over the ghosts. He was sometimes also considered a subordinate deity to Persephone.

He originally abducted his wife, only for her to end up with his own brother, leaving him relegated to the status of his wife's subordinate god.

Thaumas had initially wanted to seek the faith of this King of the Underworld, but Hera was undoubtedly the better choice, as Thaumas had the most opportunity to come into contact with Hera at the time.

"Greetings, noble Lord of the Underworld. Please forgive this mortal's irreverence; I apologize for my actions." Thaumas knelt with his head bowed, not daring to look at Hades.

Since arriving in Ancient Greece, he had never knelt before, save for when he took Chiron as his master.

They say a man has gold under his knees, and now that he had encountered a crisis, it was time to cash it in; using "money" to avert disaster was the best choice.

This was different from the past; his previous behavior was no different from taking a dump on Hades' head. Gods were mostly petty, and he was truly in trouble this time.

"Son of Apollo! I have already granted you a favor! But you have clearly pushed your luck! You brought this arrogant worm into my domain! And committed such an act of irreverence toward a god! Do you truly think I would fear my own nephew?"

An enraged Hades ignored the kneeling Thaumas and immediately lashed out at Orpheus!

"Orpheus, this is the last time I will show respect to Apollo—get out of the Underworld!"

Hearing this, Orpheus's heart sank. Looking at the furious Hades, he did not talk back but silently stepped aside.

He could not help at this moment, and he had not expected Thaumas to be so bold; he would have to plead for mercy later. If he dared to talk back now, he might be thrown out of the Underworld immediately. Only by staying could he have a chance!

"Hmph!"

Hades snorted coldly and ignored Orpheus further, slowly descending from the air to stand before the kneeling human.

"Follower of Hera, lift your head and look at me," Hades said coldly.

It was only then that Thaumas saw Hades' face clearly.

He had short black hair and wore a black robe, looking incredibly dashing. There were branch-like patterns on his forehead, and his face was pristine, without a single blemish, possessing features as exquisite as fine jewelry.

"Do you know? Although I am the god who rules over death, I love humanity just the same, and we gods all love humanity! But you, the human I love so deeply, the human I have tried my best to protect! You have caused the King of the Underworld to lose all face!"

Hades' words were filled with rage. He would not kill Thaumas because the Golden Bracelet was flashing wildly, as if asserting its sovereignty; he would not conflict with five gods at once.

But he would teach Thaumas a harsh lesson; the King of the Underworld was already deeply dissatisfied.

If it were merely a lesson, the other gods would have nothing to say.

"Tell me, why did you fire that arrow!

Given your relationship with the other gods, it would have been enough to persuade them to come and reason with me.

But you did not; you fired it. Who gave you permission to fire that arrow here!" Hades roared, nearly shouting.

This was originally a test the King of the Underworld had set for Thaumas; if he passed through the Hell Gate, he would grant Thaumas's request.

But no one expected it to end this way.

The King of the Underworld, who protected humanity, felt a deep sense of betrayal; he felt that the gods' efforts and intentions had been squandered.

In Hades' hand was a bronze arrow—the very one Thaumas had fired!

Thaumas had thought the arrow had been blown to bits; he had not expected it to survive such a massive eruption of divine power.

However, it looked quite dilapidated, its structure shattered by the immense divine power.

Hades gave a light squeeze and, right in front of Thaumas, snapped the arrow in two.

It fell before Thaumas.

"How do you think you should atone for your sins?"

Thaumas gently picked up the broken arrow, tucked it away as a memento, and said:

"Selfless Lord Hades, you are the master of the Underworld and a noble god.

That you are willing to speak with a lowly mortal is already an immense honor for me!"

Then, Thaumas stood up, bowed respectfully, and said with great reverence:

"Lord of the Underworld! I will find a way to appease your anger, though it will take time."

Hades stared at Thaumas, and in the end, that expectation for humanity overcame the fury in his heart. Moreover, Hades saw it—the Night was coming!

"Granted!" Hades spat out the single word.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he tossed the soul of Orpheus's wife to him and said:

"Seven days. That is the deadline I give you. After seven days, no matter what, the soul of Eurydice shall return to the Underworld!

During these seven days, I grant you the right to enter and exit the Underworld freely, and Eurydice shall live as if she were a mortal for those seven days!"

"Thank you, Lord Hades!" Orpheus was ecstatic. He had not expected Thaumas to actually succeed; their original plan had merely been to see Eurydice once and bid her a proper farewell.

He never imagined they would gain an extra seven days!

Just as Orpheus wanted to say more, he found himself standing at the volcanic entrance of the Underworld. He had been cast out.

Then, having finished all this, Hades turned and said to Thaumas:

"Likewise, you have seven days. Before Eurydice returns to the Underworld, you had best think carefully about how to appease the wrath of the great gods!"

With that, he went to see Nyx. Hades's divine power blocked Nyx's path; he had to go and explain himself first.

"Of course, great King of the Underworld, Hades!" Thaumas watched the King of the Underworld vanish and let out a quiet sigh of relief.