"This is how it is. Although Helios has already handed over the position of the Sun God, he mentioned that unless Phaethon is resurrected, he refuses to give up his control over the Sun's power."
After explaining this, Hermes shrugged in front of the frowning Zeus, signaling that he had done his part and now it was up to the Thunder God to handle the rest.
"This is going to be tricky..."
Sitting on his grand and luxurious throne, Zeus's smile grew somewhat awkward when he thought about Hades. He couldn't help but recall the past rift caused by their mother's favoritism. So, when Helios proposed his condition, Zeus felt a bit at a loss.
For ordinary gods, Zeus could use his authority to pressure them, but this tactic didn't work on the Titans, let alone on the ruler of the Underworld, who was considered their older brother and had several primordial gods backing him up. It wasn't something Zeus could simply deal with.
"Although the powers of light and darkness should quickly return to balance, Father, as you know, the Underworld is Hades's domain, and it's not under the control of the Olympian gods."
While Zeus was deep in thought, the wise Athena stepped forward and reminded him, "As the ruler of the Underworld and souls, I don't think our uncle is a particularly generous god."
Her words were tactful. On one hand, she reminded them that Hades wasn't an easy god to deal with, while also giving Zeus a way out, should he need it.
Hermes wholeheartedly agreed with this. Trying to make someone as miserly as Hades give up a soul was akin to bargaining with a tiger – a task not so easily accomplished.
"This is indeed difficult, but since Apollo has already agreed to Helios's condition, I believe he must have enough confidence to resolve this."
...
With Zeus's "blessing," Hermes and Apollo began descending from Mount Olympus.
Seeing Hermes remain silent, Apollo forced a smile and said, "Actually, we expected this outcome, so next—"
"Next, I will go."
Before Apollo could finish his sentence, Hermes interrupted him. "According to our previous agreement, I should obtain the part of the light source that belongs to Hyperion, which Helios placed in Phaethon. So, no matter how you look at it, I should be the one to go."
Without giving Apollo a chance to object, Hermes extended his hand to him. "Of course, as a guarantee, you can lend me some artifacts."
As a god of trade with a strong sense of professional ethics, Hermes always strives to fulfill the "contracts" he makes with others to the best of his ability. So, this journey to the Underworld and negotiation with Hades was not just a command from Zeus—it was a task Hermes had no choice but to carry out.
But before he left, a few preparations had to be made.
With his winged helmet on, holding the caduceus, and wearing a protective garment made by the Night Goddess, Hermes placed the shrunk lyre in his bag and waved to Apollo. "Alright, you can leave it here."
The domain of the god of light is on the surface of the Earth, while the Underworld is the source of darkness, which naturally has a restraining effect on all light gods.
So, Apollo could only escort Hermes to the door, and as for the longest and darkest part of the journey, Hermes would have to go alone.
"Take care of yourself."
Seeing his younger brother armed to the teeth, Apollo shook his head, watching as Hermes walked into the dark abyss.
Strictly speaking, the Underworld refers to the realm beneath the Earth, the surface of the Earth being the human world, the realm where living beings reside. The Underworld is a realm of darkness, and deeper within it lies the abyss known as Tartarus.
However, in Hermes' understanding, Earth, the Underworld, and the Abyss were different dimensional spaces. Therefore, the idea of digging through the soil to enter the Underworld was a foolish notion—these three realms weren't in a traditional "up-down" relationship.
"As for the Underworld journey, it's not like your usual tasks. First, you must cross the River Styx, the river of suffering that connects the human world to the Underworld. The master of this river is Charon, a death god born of the Night Goddess. But that's not the most important part. The key is that when he ferries human souls, Charon takes a fee—just as a toll for crossing the river. So, don't forget to bring a coin. Otherwise, entering the Underworld through the main gate might be difficult."
Standing by the River Styx, recalling Apollo's reminder before his departure, Hermes couldn't help but feel troubled.
A coin?
Although he was the god of trade, Hermes was well aware that bartering was the norm.
Not only had humanity not yet developed trade, but even among gods, transactions were more direct and based on mutual needs.
For this reason, although Hermes had accumulated considerable wealth, it didn't include any coins.
"You look like you're wrapped in the light of Olympus; you must be a god from the surface world, right?"
Charon had been watching Hermes for a while, noticing that this young god hadn't approached yet and seemed troubled.
Curious, Charon called out, "If you're trying to cross the river, you'd better hurry, this is the last ferry tonight."
He pointed to the souls floating by, mostly from the recent fire disaster, whose lives had been claimed by the falling fire from the sky.
"But I don't have a coin."
Hermes pursed his lips and walked toward Charon, "But the reason I came to the Underworld is to meet Lord Hades about something."
Although Hermes wasn't visiting the Underworld for the first time, the last time he had come, he had used the carriage of the Memory Goddess Mnemosyne.
At that time, Mnemosyne had visited Olympus to see her daughters, the Muses of Apollo. So when she returned to the Underworld, she brought Hermes along as a passenger.
Unfortunately, this time, Hermes didn't have Mnemosyne's carriage for a ride.
"No coin? That's troublesome."
Charon scratched his head at this, "The rule of collecting coins is set by His Majesty."
This meant that Charon couldn't change the rules set by Hades. Gods who belonged to Zeus could respectfully call Poseidon and Hades "Your Majesty," but for Underworld gods like Charon, their respect for Hades was much greater.
"What's going on here? Why are there so many souls stranded here?"
Just as Hermes and Charon were exchanging words, a black-robed god holding a sickle approached from the distance.
"Could this be Lord Thanatos?"
As the figure came closer, Hermes felt an extremely strong deathly aura emanating from him.
This aura made him feel uncomfortable, and even Hermes felt a chill in his bones, as if life itself was slowly slipping away.
In the Underworld, finding a god with this kind of power wasn't hard. The black robe and sickle were clear identifiers, making it almost certain this was Thanatos, the god of death.
"You're not a god of the Underworld. You must be from Olympus?"
Sticking his sickle into the ground, the black-haired god sized up Hermes and immediately deduced his identity.
Handsome in appearance and dressed in fine clothes, Hermes was clearly out of place in the Underworld. Only those gods who had been pampered in Olympus could have such an aura.
With this thought in mind, Hermes and Thanatos exchanged a few words but soon fell into silence.
"Looks like you two are traveling together?"
As the awkward silence stretched on, Charon, who had seemed like a statue, suddenly came to life and said with a smile, "This young god is the messenger of Zeus. He has come to the Underworld to see His Majesty Hades about a matter. However, he doesn't have a coin, so I can't ferry him across. Lord Thanatos, since you've finished your task for today, perhaps you could accompany him to the Underworld?"
This was Charon's way of offering Hermes a chance, as he couldn't get across the Underworld without a coin.
"Then let's go together."
After understanding Hermes' intentions, Thanatos, who had been cold and aloof, glanced at Hermes and then handed him two silver coins.
"Let's get ready to set sail!"
Charon's smile widened as he handed over the two coins. He addressed both gods, "Sit tight, we're setting sail!"
Pointing toward a shabby little boat, Hermes' gaze fell on it.
The boat seemed barely large enough to fit a few dozen people, and its broken mast made it look unreliable.
But seeing Thanatos's calm demeanor, Hermes reminded himself that perhaps he just hadn't seen enough of the Underworld's ways.
Convinced, Hermes followed them onto the old boat.
The Underworld had four rivers, each serving a different function. The River Styx, which surrounded the Underworld, was a branch of the Oath River, Styx.
Still, it gathered an exceptionally strong power of the Underworld.
Sitting at the bow of the boat, Hermes stared at the pitch-black river, lost in thought.
"Most gods who try to cross the Styx never succeed."
Not far from him, Thanatos, holding his enormous sickle, casually wiped it clean and remarked, "Any god who tries to cross with this intention is usually devoured by the power of the river. They're now all at the bottom of the lake."
Sensing a warning in his words, Hermes stiffened, quickly retracting his gaze from the river.
This seemingly unremarkable boat was rumored to be crafted by Hades himself, blessed with his protection. As long as they stayed on the boat, there would be no danger.
However, leaving the boat... that was a different story.