"Honestly, I suddenly understand why the gods of the Holy Mountain avoid Hermes like the plague," Hecate, the Moon Goddess, muttered under her breath. She watched from a distance as Hermes, wielding his caduceus, guided the souls to their respective destinations. The sight nearly made her grind her teeth in frustration.
It was all because of one thing Hermes said, which had caused her to receive a last-minute "overtime" assignment from Hades, requiring her to speed up the construction of the Underworld.
While this was indeed her responsibility, like most gods, she had a tendency to procrastinate. This meant that unless it was the last possible moment, she would have dragged her feet rather than rushing to finish the task.
"Isn't this a good thing?"
A black divine light fell from the sky to the Underworld. A tall, powerful figure descended, his black wings folding as his flowing robes swirled around him like ocean waves. It was Thanatos, the God of Death, returning with a large batch of souls. Hearing Hecate's complaint, he casually responded, "At least thanks to Hermes, your efficiency in the Underworld's construction work has increased by several times. If this keeps up, after this task is completed, I'm sure His Majesty will reward you handsomely!"
Unlike Zeus, Hades wasn't just a workaholic; he also treated his subordinates much better.
The Underworld might seem distant and forbidding, but as far as employee benefits went, it was the best across all the realms.
Unfortunately, even with all his good qualities, the work environment in the Underworld was enough to overshadow them all.
"Enough, who else but us, the natural gods of the Underworld, would willingly come down here?" Hecate sighed, her voice tinged with irony.
"Has Lord Thanatos returned?" Hermes, having just finished guiding a batch of souls, was about to rest a little by Hecate's side. He noticed Thanatos in the distance and called out.
Taking the obsidian that Hecate had blessed earlier from his pocket, Hermes offered it to Thanatos. "Thank you for your generosity earlier, Lord Thanatos. I'm returning it now."
Earlier, Thanatos had given him the stone, concerned that Hermes might be caught up with vengeful spirits. But upon realizing that the obsidian had originally been a gift from Hecate, Hermes felt it would be improper to just keep it.
"Nothing, but..." Thanatos began, about to dismiss the gift as something trivial. However, he quickly realized that speaking such words in front of Hecate might get him into trouble.
"I'm just saying, since it was from him, just take it," Thanatos added with a cold snort.
Having worked alongside each other for so long, Hecate was quick to catch on. She knew exactly what Thanatos had been about to say and decided not to make a fuss. With that, she returned to overseeing the "construction" of the Underworld.
"Thank you, Lord Thanatos." Hermes replied as he pocketed the stone, but he couldn't help but worry about the debt of gratitude he now owed.
As the God of Trade, Hermes understood well that material gifts weren't the hardest to repay; what truly complicated things were the intangible debts of favor.
"I heard you recently got into trouble with the Spirit Keeper?" Thanatos, having finished handing over his batch of souls, glanced at Hermes as he prepared to report to Hades. He brought up the latest gossip.
It had been widely rumored that Hermes, the favored messenger of Zeus, had successfully tricked the queen of the Underworld, making him somewhat notorious in certain circles.
"Let's not talk about that," Hermes replied awkwardly, aware of his actions. His minor infamy had spread quickly, and he'd felt the curious and judgmental glances of other gods, and some even seemed to harbor ill intent.
Thankfully, after spending time under Zeus, Hermes had developed a thick skin, having faced Hera's wrath on numerous occasions. His tolerance for pressure had increased, and he wasn't easily intimidated anymore.
"By the way, you were talking about the deification of mortals earlier?" Hermes quickly changed the subject to escape the awkward topic.
"That's right, because the Moon Goddess thought her workload was too heavy and wanted to find someone to share the load," Thanatos explained.
Everything that had happened was, in fact, due to Hermes.
Thanatos's expression softened, and a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "To be honest, Hecate's still too busy with the Underworld's construction. She hasn't had time to deal with you yet, but after this, I'd advise you to stay out of the Underworld for the next century."
Otherwise, you might end up with a bruised face.
Hermes nodded quickly, grateful for the warning. He wasn't keen to visit the Underworld again, unless absolutely necessary.
"However, with the state of the Underworld as it is, it looks like if anyone is going to be made into a god, it will have to be someone from the human realm," Hermes mused.
Reflecting on the situation, Hermes realized that the employment rate in the Underworld was quite low. Gods like Moirae, who were Titanesses, had only come to the Underworld because of their falling out with Zeus. Meanwhile, Styx had sought power by joining the Underworld from the sea, and the actions of these gods couldn't be easily replicated or mass-produced.
Looking at the vast Underworld, he realized that nearly every god in this realm had been born from the Night Mother, Nyx. It was a remarkable thought.
He couldn't help but admire Thanatos for his achievements.
"Well, it can't be helped. I suppose we can't do what my big brother did…" Thanatos smirked at the thought of his older brother's infamous actions, especially the episode with the three thousand dream nymphs.
As a god from the Underworld with impressive strength and good looks, Thanatos was a highly eligible bachelor, but due to his position, he had yet to marry, unlike his brother who had succeeded in finding a bride.
"I understand," Hermes responded, suddenly understanding why Thanatos was so wary of his older brother.
As they arrived at the entrance to the Underworld, Hermes couldn't help but feel both relieved and burdened by the tasks ahead.
Hades was busy discussing the deification of mortals when they entered. After hearing their report, he put down his scroll and asked, "Are you done with the task?"
"Yes, we've finished," Thanatos said, handing over a report, then gestured to Hermes. "His work is also done."
Since the job was completed, the question of rewards now arose.
"You've done very well," Hades praised them after hearing about the progress in the Underworld. "Now, I understand you want to retrieve Phaethon's soul and have Zeus deify him?"
"Yes, I believe this is the only solution," Hermes replied. "Not many Titans still have their former glory, but Helios, as the Sun God, is one of the few remaining strong deities. If it weren't for this incident, Apollo would have found it difficult to take the Sun from him."
"I understand. I'll lend you a hand with this," Hades said, swiftly agreeing to assist.
"However, remember that deifying someone is no small task, especially with your father's temper. Be careful when you return," Hades cautioned, giving Hermes one final piece of advice.
After finishing his statement, Hades waved his hand, signaling the end of their meeting.