The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 136: The Argo Expedition – (3)

The heroes of the Argo grew anxious in the midst of uneventful days.

The monsters they encountered on their journey were too weak for those who had trained in the Underworld.

Occasionally, a monster would appear, or an unexpected incident would occur, but nothing they couldn’t handle.

Even without Heracles lifting a finger, they managed to take care of everything themselves.

However, experience had taught them that this was a bad omen.

If the journey seemed suspiciously easy, it usually meant something else was wrong.

“It’s almost too easy. It makes me uneasy.”

"Those massive rocks crashing into each other last time... honestly, if we'd wanted to, we could have just smashed them..."

“Maybe the Goddess of Fortune is protecting us.”

The heroes rowed along, chatting about the suspicious ease of their journey.

A task should be worthy of a challenge, after all.

♪

“Ugh. This way, no one’s getting hurt… What’s the point of being on the Argo?”

“Aaaah. Asclepius… Are you wishing for us to get injured?”

“Leave him be. It’s not the first time.”

“Whether he’s researching medicine or not, shouldn’t he be looking after our bodies first…”

They continued sailing, sharing cheerful banter.

How blissful it was to relax and chat with their fellow heroes.

~♪ ♫

Yes, and there was even a sweet melody coming from nearby.

Really, it was pleasant to listen to. I wouldn’t mind hearing a bit more… Oh, look, those beautiful women are singing.

Sitting on the rocks, gazing in our direction.

The song is sweet, their appearance enchanting, lifting my spirits.

But they’re too far away to hear clearly. Just a little closer…

If we got just a bit closer, maybe we could hear them well.

~♬ ♩ ♬ ♫

Look, they’re tempting and enticing me like that.

What harm could it do to get a little closer to them?

…

……

………

The first to notice something amiss encircling the crew was Orpheus, who was always accompanied by music.

With trembling hands, he lifted his lyre and began playing with all his might.

Strumming ~ ♬ ♩

The two melodies soon clashed in dissonance, shaking everyone’s minds.

Some of the heroes, drooling from parted lips, went as far as slashing the backs of their own hands with their swords to suppress the urge.

In this fierce battle where neither swords nor spears were drawn, Orpheus emerged victorious.

The three women sitting on the rocks—

No, three monsters with bird like bodies and human heads—

Silently closed their mouths, glaring at Orpheus.

Only then did the heroes release their held breaths and begin to speak.

“Damn it! Those are Sirens! Monsters that lure sailors to their deaths with their voices!”

“Hah… If it weren’t for Orpheus, we’d have been in real trouble.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the auditory organs… could it be that a peculiar power in their voices affects the brain?”

“Are you really talking about medical theories right now, Asclepius?”

The only one who could resist the song was the great hero Heracles.

He’d stood up with his club, but awkwardly sat back down.

“Hercules! Save us at times like this! Don’t worry about taking credit from Orpheus—just save my life!” said Jason.

“No… I just trusted that Orpheus would get his senses together and play his lyre. That’s all,” Heracles replied.

“Heracles is truly incredible. My father’s a god too, but I couldn’t resist that song at all.”

“Could Heracles be becoming the god he keeps talking about? Haha!”

“As if! In that case, I’d start worshipping Heracles right now! Just to make it back safely!”

With the heroes’ joking, the tense atmosphere lifted, and they all rowed on with a rueful smile.

Orpheus, still clutching his lyre, wore a tired expression.

His face showed a mix of pride from winning his musical duel with the Sirens and a deep realization.

As he raised his lyre slightly towards the Sirens they’d already passed, a distant scream of rage from the monsters echoed behind them.

“We’re close to Iolcus now!”

“Just a little further, and we’ll have the Golden Fleece.”

* * *

Heroes. Fifty elite members, including the hero of prophecy, Heracles.

Many gods, naturally, were paying close attention to their story.

Olympus, the Underworld, even the Primordial Gods, who usually showed little interest in the world.

Watching the mortal realm with fascination, like a play.

However, while all eyes were on this grand performance, trouble was stirring in another land…

“Hades, my lord. The sun god Apollo is currently in a standoff with a human woman's fiancé after abducting her.”

“…Again?”

“The woman is Princess Marpessa, daughter of King Evenus.”

From his throne in the Underworld, Hades had been enjoying the adventures of the Argonauts.

But the goddess of justice, Dike, approached him, accusing Apollo of his misdeed.

Honestly. Apollo is the god of reason—why does he keep acting like this?

Could it be that as the war between gods and giants nears, even his reason is faltering? And another issue with a woman, at that.

“Just like with Daphne and Coronis, Apollo loses all sense when it comes to women.”

“Now he's fighting a mortal named Idas, in a chariot, up in the sky…”

“A human is fighting against Apollo?”

No mortal could stand against the great sun god.

Even Heracles would be reduced to ashes if he tried to fight Apollo.

Maybe he felt a slight twinge of conscience over taking the woman and killing her fiancé.

But then again, if he had any conscience, he wouldn’t have abducted someone’s betrothed in the first place.

Not wanting to stir up trouble by appearing in the mortal realm, Hades concealed himself as he quietly departed.

The Underworld hadn’t been very busy lately, so he thought he’d take this opportunity to visit his nephew and enjoy a little trip to the mortal realm.

While he was out, he might as well check on the state of Mount Etna, where Typhon's body was trapped.

* * *

Idas.

A demigod, son of Poseidon, known for his boldness and bravery.

King Evenus, son of Ares, had set up chariot races against the suitors for Princess Marpessa, executing those who lost.

But after Dike, the goddess of justice, appeared in his dreams to threaten him, he had stopped doing that.

Idas, with the winged chariot gifted by his father Poseidon, defeated King Evenus and became engaged to his daughter, Princess Marpessa…

“Aaagh! There’s heat coming from the sky…! A chariot is descending from above!”

“What… what is this?!”

“Your beauty is enchanting. You are now mine.”

Smitten by Princess Marpessa’s beauty, Apollo descended in his chariot and abducted her.

In Greece, it was not uncommon for beautiful women to be abducted by gods.

“God or not, how dare you take another man’s wife?!”

Undaunted by the fact that he was up against the sun god, Idas chased after Apollo in his own chariot.

Though he was a demigod himself, he wasn’t thinking about how he could burn to ashes from a single glance from Apollo’s fiery gaze.

Apollo, noticing the furious Idas chasing after him, scowled and prepared to kill him…

‘Damn it. That man is Poseidon’s son. After what happened with Orion…’ Apollo gritted his teeth.

Apollo had been punished for killing Poseidon’s son Orion and couldn’t take action against Idas.

If he stirred up trouble here, the sun could once again be obscured by the moon.

Instead, he tried to shake Idas off solely through his charioteering skill.

But the winged chariot, a divine gift from Poseidon, kept up with him, extending their chase.

“Give up! This woman is mine!”

“She is rightfully my wife! Return her to me!”

They tore through the sky, causing an uproar wherever they went…

Growing irritated by the constant commotion, Zeus looked down from above.

And it was just at that moment that I, Hades, appeared to reprimand Apollo.

I glanced briefly at Zeus, who was watching, then turned back to Apollo.

“A sun god, abducting a mortal woman, an engaged one at that…”

“….”

“Fine. You’ll be coming to the Underworld this quarter.”

Apollo’s chariot split in two as he awkwardly bowed his head.

Meanwhile, Idas and Marpessa lay prostrate on the ground, trembling.

When Apollo heard my voice, he slowed down and descended to the ground, bowing his head…

It seemed the mortals quickly realized another god had intervened.

“This human is not immortal, unlike you. As the sun god, you cannot always be by her side.”

“I apologize…”

Just then, Hermes descended, sent by Zeus to assess the situation, and I explained everything to him before sending Apollo off.

Troubles seem to be happening almost every day now… Could someone have cursed Olympus?

* * *

While Hades was reprimanding Apollo, the Argonauts had finally reached their destination.

After a long journey, they had arrived in Colchis, where the Golden Fleece awaited.

The crew disembarked from the ship, surveying their surroundings.

It was late at night, the hour when the veil of Eos, goddess of dawn, was about to cover the world.

“Is this Colchis? It’s so dark that I don’t see any people.”

“Still, the Argo is a large enough ship to be visible from a distance. Surely word has reached the king of Colchis…”

“Something feels strange… there’s a smell…”

“Wait… shh! I hear something over there!”

“I heard it too. It sounded like a scream.”

The Argonauts, eager to end their long voyage, were greeted by faint screams…

The sounds of something being chased, burning, crashing, and fleeing.

Rushing past the shore and into the dense forest toward the source of the sound, they were met with…

“Kyaaa! Help!”

“Hurry, over here! The city is burning!”

“Mommy! Waaah!”

They saw people fleeing from a city engulfed in flames.