A week had passed since my fight against Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera. Olympus was still under heavy remodeling; half the marble city looked like a construction site hit by titanic tantrums.
As for me?
Well, I returned to my domain and slipped back into the rhythm of everyday Underworld work.
Souls to judge, realms to maintain, monsters to keep from chewing on the furniture. The usual. Nyx helped me from time to time, drifting in and out like a shadow with purpose.
Still, I couldn't help being puzzled by her. She could enter and leave the Underworld whenever she pleased, without so much as a ripple through the boundaries.
No permission. No rituals. Just there—as if the Underworld itself bowed to her existence.
In mythology she was the mother of dreams and nightmares, but that was only scratching the surface.
She was the mother of Sleep, Death, Discord, Fate, Retribution.
A whole cosmic family tree of beings that could tear worlds apart if they sneezed wrong. Some versions of the Moirai belonged to her, and Nemesis certainly did.
She visited to watch her children, guide them, nudge fate, whatever cosmic nonsense she always did.
Thank the gods my past life involved playing a video game about a mortal killing gods. Honestly, killing Thanatos in that game while not including Nyx? A dick move.
If those developers had added Nyx to the storyline, the protagonist would've been turned into simmering broth with organ confetti in thirty seconds.
As for the little nine-year-old soul… for some reason she still couldn't enter the rebirth pool. I personally checked the problem myself.
Nyx was surprisingly anxious about the girl, and after meeting her once she decided to take care of the child until I fixed the damned pool.
We were walking down one of the long obsidian hallways now, our steps echoing softly.
Nyx glided rather than walked, each movement smooth and quiet, her presence a gentle pull like midnight gravity.
She held the small soul girl in her arms, the child curled against her chest as if it were the most natural place in all existence.
I glanced at Nyx. Her expression was calm, as always, carved from ancient stillness. But there was a softness around her eyes I rarely saw.
"Say, Nyx,"
I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
"I mean no personal vendetta or anything, but… why do you come to the Underworld so often? You used to drop by rarely. Now it's almost an everyday thing."
She tilted her head slightly, dark hair drifting like liquid night. "An everyday routine, Hades?"
"Yeah, something like that. There's nothing much in the Underworld. I know you can come and go as you please. You're the balancer of cosmic order and the embodiment of Night. So why visit so frequently?"
She let out a quiet, soft exhale. Not quite a sigh. More like the universe whispering.
"Hades, oh Hades. You truly have changed. Have you forgotten? I come to check on my children and to balance the cosmos of night itself. I am nothing more than the equilibrium birthed by Chaos. I exist where light ends and thought begins."
She said it gently, but even then her voice held weight older than gods, older than Titans. A tone that carried starlight, fear, and comfort all at once.
She shifted the child slightly, brushing a thumb across the little soul's cheek. For a primordial being who once terrified even Zeus, she handled the child with an oddly careful touch.
The girl lifted her tiny hands and signed her name. Aurora.
Nyx nodded slowly, as if tasting the name in her mind. "Ah… poor child. She is mute."
The soul shimmered faintly, her form trembling. I wanted to heal her voice, truly. But she had no physical vessel. Only after rebirth would her true voice return.
Nyx stroked the girl's hair, her expression unreadable yet strangely warm.
"Do not worry, little one. Once the pool is repaired, you will be reborn into a new family in another world. You shall have a second life."
Second life… I, Deva Kalaan, reborn as Hades, was living a second life too. And now here she was, Nyx—ancient, terrifying, unfathomable Nyx—holding a child's soul and letting her curl into her like a kitten.
Nyx was not the cuddling, loving kind of mother humans imagined. She was primordial Night.
She was the silence before creation, the breath before the first star lit. Her children were beings of fear, inevitability, and cosmic rules. Yet somehow, this little mute girl had softened her edges.
『I pity you, User. Fufufu…』
Nobody asked you, dammit.
Later, when the day's work finally ended, I headed back to my chambers. I expected silence, maybe the comfort of my own bed. Instead, I opened the door and saw a figure lying comfortably under my blankets.
I narrowed my eyes and walked closer. When I pulled the blanket back, there she was.
Aphrodite.
Hot. Sexy. Curves that could reduce kingdoms to dust. A waistline that screamed temptation. Everything about her radiated pure sensuality. Absolutely yes-level sex appeal. She was half sprawled across my bed as if she owned it.
"Aphrodite, wife of Hephaestus. What are you doing here?" I asked, keeping my voice cold and forcing myself not to stare directly at her very exposed chest.
Get it together, man. Get it together.
She stretched lazily, her golden hair spilling across my sheets like liquid sunlight. Her lips curved into a teasing smile. "Well, a week ago I heard you put those three idiots in their place. Hera, Zeus, Poseidon. But defeating them… by the gods, Uncle, you really made an impact on Olympus."
Uncle. Right. Mythology lesson time. There were two versions of her existence.
One, she was born from Uranus's severed genital tossed into the sea.
Two, she was the daughter of Zeus. In this world, she was Zeus's child with Dione.
"Does Zeus know you are here? Or your husband?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Her expression twisted immediately. "Do not talk about them. That old man only cares about fucking whatever he can. And my husband is obsessed with Pandora."
Ah, Pandora. Endgame. Not dead and box unopened. Better keep that situation stable.
"If there is nothing else, leave my domain," I said.
"Aww, you are such a spoil sport, Uncle."
"Again, leave."
She sighed, dramatically even. Was this a problem?
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Alright, Aphrodite. What seems to be the problem?"
She sat up, hugging her knees, her beauty dimming with insecurity. "It is Athena. I am jealous of her new priestess."
『WARNING System Notification』
[ Progress on current quest to save Medusa: 50% ]
What?! System, what happened? We were at seventy percent! How did it drop?
『Check it out yourself』
You little shit. Why do you exist just to give me migraines?
But for now, Aphrodite was in front of me. So I needed to act calm.
"Ahem. What about Athena's new priestess?" I asked, my tone icy but attentive.
Aphrodite pouted, her voice trembling with frustration. "She is gorgeous. I am jealous of her beauty. All men stare at her. Even Poseidon caught sight of that bitch."
Hold up. In some versions, Aphrodite was jealous of Medusa's beauty. This was not good.
"This priestess... what is her name?" I asked carefully.
Please do not say it. Please. Do not.
"Medusa."
Fuck.
Oi, system! I stole her fucking virginity! How in the nine realms is she still a virgin?!
『Something is not right. User, go check the temple』
Now you tell me.
I stood and approached Aphrodite gently. "Aphrodite, I will go check it out and come back with confirmation. Besides, you are a cutie, remember?"
With a small gesture, I summoned a flower crown woven of divine blossoms and vines. It settled into her hair, glowing softly. Then I handed her a flask of sacred wine.
Her eyes widened. "These are..."
"Do not snitch on this uncle, niece. I stole them from Zeus's secret wine stash."
Aphrodite squealed like a spoiled princess and threw her arms around me. Damn, her breasts were big. But not as big as Medusa's.
"Love you, Uncle! Bye bye!"
She pranced out of my room like an overgrown bratty goddess.
I exhaled and rubbed my scalp. Enough. Time to head up and find out why the quest dropped and how the hell Medusa became a priestess again.
I ascended back to the mortal realm, and the moment my feet touched the ground, the sky darkened to a suffocating grey. The earth rumbled beneath me like it sensed the coming disaster.
『Caution. Poseidon has raped Medusa. Athena has emerged.』
That fast?!
Fuck.
Thunder cracked violently as I sprinted toward the temple. Even from afar I could see them: Poseidon towering with smug arrogance, Athena blazing with fury. And in the center, Medusa—shaking, crying, her clothing torn, her knees pressed to the cold marble floor.
"MEDUSA! YOU HAVE SOILED THIS HOLY TEMPLE! FOR THIS, I SHALL CURSE YOU!"
"NO! PLEASE! I BEGGED FOR PROTECTION!" Medusa sobbed, her voice hoarse with terror.
"SILENCE!"
Athena raised her spear, divine light burning along its edge. She was seconds away from unleashing the curse.
Then Medusa screamed.
"DEVA!!!"
My entire body froze. Even on the brink of being cursed, even after being violated, even after everything… she called for me. Deva. The name I carried in my first life. The name I hid.
My teeth clenched so hard they almost cracked.
Enough.
Dark power erupted around me. Shadows twisted, the earth splitting beneath my feet as I warped across the space—my form flickering through the air like living darkness.
I appeared before them in an explosion of black energy, slamming between Medusa and Athena. My presence alone shook the temple pillars.
"STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF THE DAMNED!"
My trident manifested in my hand, its blade dripping with red power. The sea surrounding the temple walls turned blood-red as I struck the ground, the force echoing like a war drum.
I stepped back, shielding Medusa with my body.
Athena recoiled. "Hades! How dare you interfere!"
Rage surged through me like a wildfire.
"YES, I DARE, YOU PATHETIC GODDESS OF TRASH!"
The words tore out of me before I could stop them. Screw restraint. I had nothing left to hold back.
Athena trembled with outrage. "You… you dare call me, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom—!"
"I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN IF YOU ARE A GOD, A WHORE, OR A SELF-RIGHTEOUS VIRGIN WITH A STICK UP YOUR ASS, ATHENA!"
The wind howled between us. The air turned heavy, suffocating, as divine power clashed invisibly.
Even Poseidon took a step back, sensing that I was moments away from erupting.
Behind me, Medusa sobbed into her palms. Her trembling fingers clutched weakly at my leg as if afraid I might vanish.
I tightened my grip on the trident.
This time, I would not let Olympus ruin her.
"Calm yourself, mortal."
My voice softened as I turned to Medusa. She looked up at me, eyes swollen with tears, her body trembling.
"You're… Hades. Lord of the Dead. But I… I called out to Deva. The man I had…" Her voice cracked, her breath unsteady.
"I am that man," I said quietly, steadying her with a hand on her shoulder. "But we will talk later."
She clung to my words like a lifeline. I rose and faced Athena and Poseidon, my patience burning away like ash.
"On what ground has Medusa sinned, Athena?!"
My fury cracked through the air, sending tremors through the temple walls.
Athena bristled, her spear trembling in her grip. "This forsaken mortal has soiled my temple, Hades. This is betrayal!"
"Betrayal?" I stepped forward, shadows curling around my feet. "The wrong was Poseidon's, Athena. A mortal priestess called for your protection, yet instead of defending her, you blame her? You stand on a pedestal no mortal can reach, and still you condemn her for this?!"
Athena's face twisted. "You compare me to a mortal, Uncle…?"
"YES, I DARE, YOU STUPID GIRL!!!"
Lightning split the sky above us, responding to my rage as if the heavens themselves flinched.
I whipped my gaze to Poseidon. "Poseidon, my brother. Have you forgotten the curse I inflicted?"
He smirked at first. "Of course not. But I do not have a wife and—"
He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened. A faint glow began forming around his body, shimmering like cracking divine chains.
"Pathetic," I muttered. "You had an affair."
"Impossible! I have no wife!"
"IDIOT!" I roared. "You have had countless relationships! All are considered affairs, you pathetic, half-brained dumbass!"
"No… NOOOO!!!"
Poseidon screamed as the curse began creeping up his arms, writhing like molten chains. His sanity faltered, panic overwhelming him.
I turned back to Athena, who was trembling with anger and disbelief.
"Athena. As Hades, Lord of the Underworld, Judge of Souls, I will hold punishment against you."
Her eyes widened with raw outrage. "HADES!!! YOU DARE PUNISH ME?! YOUR OWN NIECE?! YOUR OWN BLOOD?!"
"Why shouldn't I?" I asked, voice cold enough to freeze the air. "I have no family currently. I am the Judge, Athena."
The temple fell silent.
Only Medusa's quiet sobbing broke the stillness as divine tension crackled between the three of us.
"Hades… you cursed your own brother with infertility, and now you punish me?!" Athena shouted, voice cracking like thunder.
I stepped forward, my shadow swallowing hers. Slowly, deliberately, I leaned close and whispered into her ear.
"Do not think I am unaware of your plans for Perseus."
Athena's eyes flew open. Her spear slipped slightly in her grip, divine cloth unraveling from her armor as she staggered back.
"You… you…"
"ENOUGH!"
My roar crashed through the temple like a divine quake. I slammed the butt of my trident onto the marble floor, and the ground split, sending jagged cracks racing outward.
"Athena, for false accusations and for condemning an innocent. And Poseidon, for rape by force."
My power wrapped around them like tightening chains.
"Athena, you shall be exiled from half your authority over wisdom and war. And all temples dedicated to you shall crumble."
Athena gasped. Even Poseidon paused his screaming.
"As for you, Poseidon… consider the curse of infertility my mercy."
I lifted the trident and brought it down.
The world shook.
Across Greece—Sparta, Athens, Rhodes, Mycenae—temples dedicated to Athena groaned as cracks split their foundations.
Marble pillars shattered. Statues of her toppled. Priests screamed as holy sites crumbled to ruin.
A goddess losing temples was like losing pieces of her soul.
Athena trembled, eyes blazing with hatred. "You will hear from Zeus about this, Hades. Mark my words. This is now personal."
"Do me a favor," I said, raising a slow middle finger. "Fuck off, stupid bitch."
Her face twisted in fury, but even she knew better than to challenge me further. In a burst of divine light, she vanished. Poseidon, screaming in denial, disappeared as well, cursed and broken.
Silence fell.
I turned to Medusa. She knelt on the cold temple floor, shivering, clothes torn, body bruised. Her breath quivered as she struggled to remain conscious.
My giant form cast a massive shadow over her. With a swipe, I tore a strip of my own cloak—thick, black abyssal fabric—and wrapped it gently around her trembling body.
"Th-thank you… Lord Hades," she whispered.
Pain twisted at my chest.
"Forgive me, Medusa. But considering the current situation… it is best that you leave this place. And never return."
Her eyes widened with heartbreak. "What… why… are you… please… please… I… I…"
I shrank down to my mortal-sized form and lifted her into my arms, cradling her as gently as Nyx cradled Aurora.
"Hush, Medusa. It is temporary. Until everything ends."
"W-what ends…?"
I swallowed. "The day the Titans rise again."
Her breath hitched.
So I told her her fate.
Athena's curse.
Her transformation into a Gorgon.
Her exile.
Her death at the hands of Perseus—Athena's chosen champion.
Her head mounted on the goddess's shield for eternity.
Medusa sobbed weakly. "How was I blind to this cruel fate…?"
After a moment, I asked quietly, "Medusa… I took your virginity that night. How was it restored?"
She lowered her gaze. "A kind woman with magic helped me. In return she asked only that I devote myself to Athena. She said fate required me to be chosen as priestess."
A kind stranger. My mind raced.
This didn't line up with mythology.
In some versions, she dedicated herself willingly.
In others, her parents offered her.
In others, Athena chose her directly.
But a kind stranger restored her purity with magic…?
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Medusa." I cupped her cheek. "Think carefully. Who was this woman?"
Her eyes flickered with fear.
With memory.
With something ancient.
Outside, thunder cracked again.
And for the first time… I sensed a new player in this story.
---
Chapter 5 — End