(Greek Mythology) The Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 55
"Charon's on strike?" Hades put down his pen, which was busy grading official documents, and looked at Hypnos, his voice cold, his deep blue eyes unfathomable.
"Yes." Under his superior's oppressive gaze, Hypnos answered with difficulty, indicating that he was under immense pressure.
So why is it that Charon is the one who caused the trouble, but he's the one suffering? He didn't want to report this kind of thing at all! And Thanatos, why did you have to go out and collect souls at this time? Brother, I need you to share the burden!
Maintaining a serious expression, Hypnos silently grumbled inwardly, his inner thoughts running wild. This situation can be commonly known as hypocrisy.
"Summon Charon." Hades, completely unaware of what his subordinate was thinking, or rather, not caring even if he did, gave a curt order. He needed to see the god in question.
When Hypnos went to find Charon, Charon was sitting in his boat, cosplaying as The Thinker. One side of the riverbank was completely empty, while the other was a densely packed sea of the dead—a rather spectacular sight that drove Hypnos insane.
"These bastards who don't know anything about symmetry! Can't they at least make both sides the same?" Hypnos, particularly bothered by the asymmetrical scene, thought to himself that his obsessive-compulsive disorder was really taking a toll.
"Obsessive-compulsive sufferers are all fallen angels, please treat us gently…wait, what's an angel?"
However, no matter how uncomfortable he felt, Hypnos could only endure it, because he couldn't row, and Charon, who was on strike, obviously wouldn't help.
Trying to ignore his surroundings and silently chanting that he saw nothing, he saw nothing, Hypnos reluctantly relayed Hades' words to Charon.
"Oh, let's go then." Charon immediately dropped the oars and stood up, his movements remarkably swift and decisive.
Hypnos was somewhat surprised that his goal had been achieved so easily. Could he say that he had come prepared to forcibly take the god away after all his earnest persuasion failed?
After a two-second pause, Hypnos, urged on by Charon (…), set off with Charon towards the Temple of Hades.
Hypnos: I don't know why, but I always feel that Charon is more eager than I am. Is it just my imagination?
Upon arriving at the temple, Charon's calm demeanor vanished, replaced by the bitter and resentful expression Hypnos had shown him on the ship. He wouldn't speak no matter what Hades asked, until Hades was almost losing patience before he finally stammered that he had realized he had fallen in love with Denise.
Denise, meaning "flower," is a rather simple and straightforward name, purely chosen by Tartarus for convenience. Whether goddess of fortune or misfortune, Hades only learned upon arriving in the Underworld that the two goddesses he initially thought were actually the same deity. She is extremely capable and has a wide range of responsibilities, essentially a brick in the Underworld, moved wherever needed, but primarily responsible for intelligence gathering.
Of course, this isn't the key point. The key point is that Denise is Tartarus's subordinate goddess.
Hades and Hypnos now understood why Charon had hesitated to speak. High-ranking gods usually have their own servants, but few pay attention to their servants' romantic relationships. Tartarus didn't seem like the type to care about such things. If Charon and Daenerys were truly in love, they could easily be together. But judging from Charon's behavior, it was clear Daenerys didn't like him. Meeting Tartarus under these circumstances was a bit unsettling for Charon, who had a deep-seated childhood trauma regarding Tartarus.
If it were any other god, Charon would have already snatched him away. After all, gods are immortal, and feelings can be cultivated later. But Tartarus's servant… Charon decided he didn't want to be associated with the first-generation god-king for the time being.
Even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner. Having a servant stolen would be a humiliation. Tartarus wasn't known for his good temper; if Charon did that, he would be in serious trouble.
Moreover, Charon had no doubt that if he dared to steal Tartarus's divine possession, his father and mother would drag him to the abyss to plead guilty the very next day, personally overseeing the implementation of the punishment. The intervening day would be used for relaying the message.
In reality, Charon wasn't guaranteed to succeed in actually stealing Tartarus. Don't assume that Denise, the goddess of fortune and misfortune, was merely a support character capable of applying buffs. As a goddess born from the blood of Tartarus before her ascension to godhood, Denise's power and mastery of the laws largely stemmed from Tartarus; her combat strength was not to be underestimated. Even if she couldn't defeat Charon, escaping would be no problem.
Unable to steal the god directly and afraid to confront Tartarus, Charon could only try to get someone else to speak to Tartarus. And so, Charon went on strike.
Charon was extremely grateful for his position as the ferryman of the River Styx. As the sole ferryman on the river, if he went on strike, the entire Underworld would be out of work, and the other gods, however unwilling, would inevitably help—that was the advantage of a monopoly.
Consciously pleased with himself, Charon immediately put his idea into practice, resulting in the image of Charon as the Thinker that Hypnos had seen earlier.
However, Charon seemed to have forgotten the gods' terrible sense of time. After spending a long time on the ship, bored to the point of mold, Charon began to regret it. His own temple would have been a much better choice; why did he insist on staying here in the cold wind? Couldn't he have changed his posture for the sake of effect? Was it too late to back out now?
Charon, determined to complete his plan even if it meant tears, endured a series of setbacks: "So boring! Why hasn't anyone come yet?" → "I'm getting uncomfortable in the same position. I should be able to subtly shift a little without being noticed, right?" → "Never mind, it wouldn't be good if they saw me. It's just a small difficulty, I have to bear it." → "But it's so uncomfortable, I really want to give up, what should I do?" → "No, I should persevere a little longer." → "Why hasn't anyone come yet? Should I give up?" → "I've endured so long, it's too much of a waste to give up now, I'll just have to endure it a little longer." Finally, Charon saw Hypnos.
If background music were played at this moment to reflect Charon's feelings, it would definitely be like this →_→
"Finally, I've waited for you. I'm so glad I didn't give up. Happiness is hard-won, which makes it all the more precious..."
"Brother, you really are my brother!" Charon was almost moved to tears.
Hypnos: "Although we are indeed brothers, we are not close at all. Thank you."
Hypnos, having fathered countless children, was genuinely unfamiliar with Charon, his older brother with a significant age gap and whom he rarely saw. In his heart, his only true brother was his twin brother Thanatos.
Finally free from the torment of the River Styx, Charon's earlier enthusiastic reaction could be explained: he was simply overjoyed and forgot he was still acting.
This acting... I give it a bad review. So unprofessional.
Chapter 55