The figure half-lying on the mountain road looked wearily at the huge boulder that had fallen to the foot of the mountain.
He originally wanted to lie down on the side and secretly rest for a while.
However, the chains and shackles engraved with inscriptions all over his body began to resonate and vibrate, feeling like red hot branding irons, bringing pain that pierced directly into the soul.
At once, the prisoner let out a low, muffled groan.
The outline of his face twitched slightly; however, he could only curse angrily a few times, then drag the heavy chains and turn back toward the path.
"Never ending!"
"So, are you willing to speak now? Sinner Sisyphus..."
A gentle and calm voice came from the hazy mist.
A young man with golden eyes and golden hair, wearing a loose white robe, stood at the starting point at the foot of the mountain with his arms folded.
"Speak about what?" Sisyphus blinked while dragging his shackles and chains, his face full of innocence.
"My brother Thanatos, where exactly did you trick him to?" the young man in the white robe asked lightly, completely unmoved by the other party's superficial disguise.
"What benefit do I get for telling you?"
"None." The young man in the white robe shook his head in response, the expression on his face becoming a little colder. "But if you refuse to speak, you will suffer the cruelest punishment in the Underworld!"
"Then what am I doing right now?"
"Serving your sentence..."
"Look, if I don't speak, I have to serve my sentence. If I speak, I still have to serve my sentence. Wouldn't that mean I spoke for nothing?"
Sisyphus counted on his fingers while speaking and then looked at the god of sleep, Hypnos, the one questioning him with disdain.
"You want me to open my mouth without giving me any benefits? Even the old river god Asopus understands things better than you."
Back then, Zeus had transformed into a divine eagle and abducted Aegina.
As a witness, Sisyphus sold Zeus's dark secret to the old river god Asopus, who was searching for his daughter.
In exchange, he gained for the Kingdom of Corinth under his rule a sacred spring that flowed throughout all four seasons.
Perhaps persuaded by Sisyphus's words, Hypnos frowned and thought for a moment before offering a price.
"As long as you are willing to confess,
I can plead with the King of the Underworld on your behalf and ask him to exempt you from this eternal punishment."
"So that means I can go home?" Sisyphus's eyes lit up immediately, clearly tempted.
"Impossible!" However, Hypnos directly crushed the prisoner's fantasy. "Your sins are too heavy.
Even if the eternal divine punishment in front of you is removed, you will still need to continue serving punishment in another region until your sins are washed away."
"Then forget it. I just got used to this job. I have no plans to change careers for the time being."
Sisyphus waved his hand cheerfully, then bent down and pushed the thousand-pound boulder at the foot of the mountain, preparing to complete today's small goal of one hundred round trips as usual.
"Stubborn beyond reason!"
After failing to obtain the answer he wanted, Hypnos felt anger in his heart.
Yet there was nothing he could do.
This guy was the founder and king of Corinth.
Not long ago, the crime of him informing the old river god Asopus had been exposed, and Zeus held a grudge against him.
The King of the Gods sentenced Sisyphus to death for blasphemy and ordered the God of Death, Thanatos, to go to Corinth and take away the soul of this sinner so that he would suffer in the underworld.
Unexpectedly, relying on trickery, Sisyphus actually kidnapped and hid the god of death, throwing the balance of life and death in the world into chaos.
Although the Goddess of the Underworld Moon, Hecate, who had gone to investigate, captured the culprit and threw him into the Underworld, the man still refused to change his ways.
With sweet words, he asked the king and queen of the Underworld for three days to handle his affairs.
He even promised to offer sacrifices to Hades.
However, as soon as he returned to the mortal world, he immediately went back on his word, refused to leave, and stubbornly refused to reveal the location of the God of Death, Thanatos.
This time, the King of the Underworld, who had been tricked, flew into a rage.
After entrusting Hecate, who was still searching on earth for Thanatos, to capture this repeat offender and bring him back again, he personally designed a cruel punishment for Sisyphus.
He was required to push a huge boulder up to the top of the mountain.
However, the boulder would roll back down every time before reaching the summit, wasting all his effort.
Thus, he had to repeat this task endlessly and without end, until his soul and will were completely worn away by this dull and painful eternal divine punishment.
Unless he confessed his crime and quickly revealed the location of the god of death, Thanatos, only then would he have a chance to obtain a trace of mercy.
However, this guy seemed to enjoy it and had no intention of loosening his mouth at all.
Sometimes he even still had the mood and energy to crack jokes and tease, which left Hypnos, who came to question him, extremely depressed.
Having gained nothing and in a bad mood, Hypnos no longer had the desire to stay.
His body transformed into countless black Underworld butterflies that scattered and merged into the deathly mist filling the Underworld.
~~
"Sisyphus?"
A deep voice came from the darkness.
Two slender figures emerged from the gray mist of the Underworld along with a surging, deathly aura.
The prisoner serving his sentence was slightly stunned.
Then he looked in surprise at the two unfamiliar visitors at the foot of the mountain and narcissistically stroked his chin.
"You know me? Could it be that my deeds and fame have already spread this far?"
"..."
"Come, come, give me a hand so I can rest for a bit. When we return to Corinth, I will treat you to drinks: the finest ambrosia wine, personally gifted to me by the wine god Dionysus!"
"..."
As the main person involved, Lorne looked at the professional swindler in front of him who was talking complete nonsense.
His face turned dark, and for a moment he was completely speechless.
Seeing that the other side had no intention of helping, Sisyphus quickly lost interest in the two visitors and lazily snorted.
"Hey, friends, if we are not acquainted, why did you come here? To watch the show?"
On the hillside, the prisoner with short golden hair and facial lines that carried a somewhat delicate beauty narcissistically touched the single golden gemstone earring hanging from his left ear, then leaned against the boulder with a smile, blinking his narrow fox-like eyes and reminding them in a playful tone.
"I don't mind if you want to watch the show. I just happen to lack a few people to chat with and relieve my boredom. Just be careful that in the end you yourselves don't become the show."
"Oh? How so?"
Hearing Sisyphus's meaningful teasing, Lorne could not help but feel a little curious.
"Friend, this is not a place just anyone is qualified to come to. Either you are a prisoner who has committed a serious crime, like me..."
Sisyphus grinned as he pointed at his own nose.
Then he looked at Lorne and Thetis in front of him with a playful expression.
"Or you are illegal stowaways who broke the rules. Because you crossed the border illegally, you were automatically teleported by Erebus to the lowest level of the Underworld, Tartarus Hell. Like... you two?"
"Erebus" means "darkness."
It is the defensive system of the Underworld personally forged by the Goddess of Night, Nyx.
It is the place that the dead must first pass through before entering the Underworld. Located between the mortal world and the land of the dead, its essence is three layers of dark curtains.
That is right.
The dark region Lorne and Thetis had previously entered through the three bronze gates beneath the sea was the Underworld defense system Sisyphus referred to as Erebus.
Because of their abnormal condition, he and Thetis were directly thrown to the lowest level of the underworld, Tartarus.
This place was the most heavily guarded prison in the Underworld.
The defeated Titans, ancient monsters, and the most heinous sinners were all prisoners here.
Very few had ever managed to escape.
"How do we get out?"
Lorne and Thetis looked at each other and muttered, with a headache.
They had wandered the dark wilderness for quite a while.
Even with the protection of the Sacred Fire, they still could not find the correct direction.
If they had not accidentally reached this mountain and been drawn by Sisyphus pushing the stone, they would not have known how much longer they would have wandered in circles.
"You don't know the way? No problem. I'm very familiar with this place. Where do you want to go? I'll take you there!"
Hearing this, Sisyphus's eyes turned, and he eagerly came closer, looking extremely friendly and enthusiastic.
Lorne glanced at the handcuffs and shackles on Sisyphus's body that clanged as they swayed, his gaze full of disdain.
"You are that kind-hearted?
In the end, you just want us to break your shackles and take you out with us, don't you?"
"Haha, just along the way, along the way. Don't you need a guide? I just happen to know how to escape from this damn place. Everyone gets what they need, and no one delays the other."
Sisyphus answered with a grin.
Even if his little scheme had been exposed, this guy showed no shame at all.
Seeing that, Thetis grabbed Lorne, who was about to continue mocking him, and softly reminded him.
"He is right..."
"Right? Right! This beautiful goddess is reasonable. Come on, come on, help me unlock these shackles first. Be careful not to drag this out too long and run into that guard dog wandering around."
Sisyphus actively stretched out his hands and feet.
His familiar tone and the way he winked and gestured made it seem as if both sides had already secretly reached an agreement.
Living people who willingly entered the Underworld were either fools who did not know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth or ruthless figures with their own goals.
And the fact that they had not lost themselves in that primordial darkness proved they were most likely the latter.
When encountering such a situation, of course he had to seize the opportunity.
He did not want to truly spend eternity pushing stones in this damned place.
Of course, it would be best if the people in front of him were a bit foolish and could help delay the Underworld pursuers at a critical moment.
However, the habitual swindler who was secretly calculating did not notice the subtle exchange of glances between Lorne and Thetis, nor the barely noticeable teasing in their eyes.
'Very good. This guy took the bait.
(End of the chapter)