Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Hercules' stepfather?

I remember now! Rhadamanthys, one of the three judges of the underworld!

Alcmene, the mother of Hercules, remarried to the judge of the underworld through the matchmaking of her son Hercules!

Good heavens! Her biological father was Zeus, the king of the gods; her stepfather was the chief judge of the underworld; her adoptive father was the king of Thebes; and her birth mother was the granddaughter of the great hero Perseus.

Come to think of it, Hercules, that guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually has such a powerful background.

No wonder in Greek mythology, he was able to enter the underworld and rescue Theseus, who had been imprisoned by Hades for trying to steal Hades' wife.

From this perspective, Thanatos's willingness to show goodwill was partly due to Heracles's influence.

Samael smiled, put away the gold coins, but stepped forward, bit his index finger, and raised his hand to draw a circle of golden wedge-shaped divine runes in mid-air.

"Thanks, but for everyone's sake, please stay here for a while."

The ancient serpent patted Thanatos, the god of death, on the shoulder with a bright and warm smile, but its tone carried an unquestionable air.

This was a secret operation; he wouldn't be foolish enough to entrust his safety to a relationship that Thanatos and Hercules had absolutely no connection to.

Oh ho, imprisoning Death? This guy's methods are wilder than I imagined.

Sisyphus crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips, and a smug, amused expression on his face, showing no intention of pleading for Thanatos.

"You're looking for the Pure Land of Bliss? I can take you there..."

However, unexpectedly, Thanatos, the god of death, glanced over somewhere, remained silent for a moment, and then revealed their purpose in one sentence, offering to be their guide.

"That's great! Maybe the more people there are, the more lively it will be."

Samael glanced at the bewildered, petite figure behind him, smiled and agreed, extending his arm to invite Thanatos to go first.

He then grabbed Medea's arm and led the others to follow, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Thanatos's gaze lingered on the child the longest. Could it be that the legend of Medea becoming the queen who would rule Elysium was not unfounded?

But what does this have to do with Death's sudden defection?

The ancient snake was completely baffled, so it temporarily suppressed its doubts and gave its teammates a wary look.

The group nodded in unison, then spread out slightly, forming a subtle encirclement around Thanatos, the traitor.

They arrived at the ferry without any problems. Guided by Death, the seven Samael casually tossed the gold of Zeus that they had been holding between their fingers into the rolling River Styx.

As ripples spread outwards, the sound of a long pole being used to stir the water rose from the dark gray river, accompanied by the clear sound of water gradually approaching.

Before long, a gloomy old man, dressed in tattered hemp clothes and with a hunched back, was holding a long pole and maneuvering the ghost boat slowly to the shore.

"why you?"

Charon, the ferryman of the River Styx, frowned slightly as he looked at Thanatos, the god of death, standing at the ferry. When his gaze fell upon the people beside him, the old man cursed his bad luck inwardly.

"They even brought a group of living people with them?"

Death, with his usual poker face, calmly stated his request.

"Take us to the Endless Plains. Do you know that place? Is there a problem?"

Charon stirred the water with his long pole, and a golden aura flowed from the bottom of the water into his mouth and nose.

The old man, like an addict, took a deep drag, seemingly intoxicated, and then looked at everyone with a lingering sense of satiation. After a long while, he spat out a vicious sentence.

"You have to pay more!"

Samael's breath hitched, and he coughed violently, almost wanting to ask if the other person also had the nickname "Very Moist".

However, looking at the old face opposite him, which resembled withered tree bark and was covered with deep wrinkles, the ancient serpent decisively dismissed the idea, casually took out a bag of Zeus's Gold from the spatial array, and threw it onto the ship.

The Styx ferryman sensed the powerful faith contained in each gold coin and immediately beamed with joy, eagerly inviting everyone to board the ship.

This is a precious item, enshrined in a large temple and blessed day and night; it's enough for him to enjoy for a while.

Because the gods of the underworld are associated with death and suffering, they rarely receive offerings.

For some beings, things like this, imbued with vibrant life and pure faith, are like an addictive leaf that they can't resist.

Anyway, as long as you pay enough and get on the boat, don't worry about gods or ghosts. This is also how the ancient Greeks viewed Charon, the god who ferryed people across the River Styx.

Therefore, in order to bribe this old man, the ancient Greeks would often place a few coins in the eyes or mouth of the deceased during funerals.

Wasn't the spirit of the underworld supposed to be pure and simple? How come the common practices of the underworld in different parts of the world are all the same—extremely greedy for money!

Furthermore, I must express my utter contempt for a certain Mesopotamian goddess who, as the one in charge of love and life, is even more eager to plunder wealth and jewels than the demons and monsters of the underworld.

As Samael grumbled to himself, Charon, the ferryman of the Styx, raised his long pole, and the ferry, disregarding the rules, sailed upstream in the turbulent Styx.

Chapter 235 If you're brothers, let's take a gamble! (3/3)

The dark and eerie waters of the River Styx churned violently, the shifting deathly aura outlining distorted, wailing faces that, drawn by the scent of life, frantically swarmed toward the ferry.

Charon, as was his habit, stirred the long pole in his hand, and the ripples from the Styx quickly shattered and crushed these resentful ghosts.

Even if some fish manage to escape, Death, standing at the stern, easily dispatches them without requiring Samael or Artemis to worry about them.

On the boat, Sama stroked his chin, his gaze secretly shifting between the ferryman and Death, his expression strange.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Charon won't throw us into the River Styx in front of his own brothers."

Seemingly noticing his employer's doubts, Sisyphus, who had become familiar with the underworld, approached Samael and began to reassure him.

Since Thanatos took over the role of guide, Sisyphus has felt somewhat threatened, so he is naturally willing to show his worth whenever he can.

brother?

The ancient serpent paused slightly, looking at Sisyphus with confusion. The convict then proceeded to explain the relationship between Death and the Ferryman of the River Styx.

In fact, Thanatos and Charon were both sons of Nyx, the goddess of night, and they also had a brother, Hypnos, the god of sleep.

The existence of Nyx, the goddess of night, is quite ancient.

Legend has it that she, along with Erebus, the god of darkness, and Tartarus, the god of the abyss, were the three earliest primordial deities of the underworld.

However, since the three ancient gods were the embodiment of the rules, they did not have physical forms. Therefore, after the world stabilized and the age of gods declined, they successively merged into the operation of the underworld.

For example, Tartarus prison was transformed from Tartarus, the god of the abyss, and the three dark curtains behind the three bronze walls of the underworld were formed by the remaining power of Erebus, the god of darkness.

So that's what those three dark curtains were all about. No wonder their senses were so severely restricted by this interference.

In addition, it is worth noting that the three ancient deities of the underworld have not completely disappeared.

They each left behind a tangible successor who was freed from nothingness.

Among them, the descendant of Tartarus, the god of the abyss, is naturally Typhon, the king of gods and monsters, but this troublemaker is still leashed by the dogs of Olympus.

The god of darkness, Erebus, and the goddess of night, Nyx, were united and had multiple successors, thus their powers were relatively dispersed.

Currently, the only ones still alive and kicking under Zeus's nose seem to be the three brothers: Hypnos, Thanatos, and Styx.

Hypnos and Death are alright, as they possess some degree of clear and powerful divine authority.

Charon, the god of the Styx, has a much worse life. He can only rely on rowing his boat to pluck scraps of faith from the mouths of passing spirits to keep himself in a half-dead state.

Samael, however, didn't seem to care.

The world is constantly changing, and the succession of divine authority and the weakening and fall of gods are normal occurrences.

Today, after being sifted through the ages, Greece has gradually formed three major lineages: the Olympian sky gods headed by Zeus, the sea gods headed by Poseidon, and the underworld gods headed by Hades.

Now in the underworld, after Hades and his wife Hades, the god of the underworld, are counted, it is the turn of the three brothers Hypnos, Thanatos, and Styx, followed by Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aiacos, the three judges of the underworld.

Compared to Zeus, who filled Olympus almost entirely with his own people, Hades was a more accommodating and empowering superior.

Just as Samael and Sisyphus were gossiping about the gods of the underworld, they happened to turn their heads and see Medea, who had been following them like a little tail, now squatting on the deck of the ship, leaning on her staff and silently reciting a prayer in divine language.

"what happened?"

The ancient snake seemed concerned and asked in a low voice.

“I can sense that Lady Hecate has been secretly guiding us along the way, so I would like to express my gratitude to her.”

Little Medea raised her head, smiled shyly, and responded earnestly.

"Lady Hecate? Where is she? Where is she? I can't see her."

Upon hearing this, Circe, who was nearby, couldn't help but chirp and move closer, shaking his head from side to side and looking around.

However, the thick fog of death that permeated the River Styx made it impossible for the Great Witch to see her surroundings clearly, which immediately made her look suspiciously at her little niece.

"Really! I'm not lying!"

Little Medea frowned and spoke with great conviction.

“She’s right, the Goddess of the Underworld is indeed here…”

Following the direction Medea pointed, Samael sensed something, his cross-shaped pupils opening and closing, and he smiled slightly.

The ancient serpent's senses penetrated the surging deathly mist, extending to the riverbank. In a fleeting glance, it spotted a figure holding the Moon Staff, draped in a light veil, with purple hair and eyes, and slightly pointed ears, standing quietly opposite, gazing at the ferry from afar.

Wait! Her face!

Samael's expression was one of surprise at first, then he lowered his eyes and looked strangely at the innocent and naive Medea on the ship.

After a short while, the fog above the River Styx gradually thinned, and the ferry slowly docked at the shore.

At the ferry crossing leading to the boundless plains, stood the graceful goddess of the moon, Hecate.

"My Goddess! I knew it was you!"

Seeing this, Medea's eyes lit up. Overjoyed, she jumped ashore and ran to Hecate, excitedly taking her hand.

However, the goddess of the moon subtly brushed aside Medea's arm and subconsciously took small steps to move away.

The instant their skin separated from contact, Samael suddenly saw the fingers of the goddess of the underworld within her long sleeves, frighteningly pale and transparent, with wisps of sticky purplish-red mist, like maltose being pulled apart.

"You can go back now. I'll lead them the rest of the way."

As Samael and the others landed, Hecate gracefully approached, her cool whisper emanating from beneath her purple veil.

Both the indifferent Thanatos, the god of death, and the eccentric Charon, the ferryman of the Styx, bowed respectfully and listened with a heartfelt obedience.

Charon then raised his long pole, carrying Thanatos, and steered the ferry into the deathly gray fog.

Samael raised his hand halfway, then quietly lowered it again, watching the two insiders walk away.

The ancient serpent glanced meaningfully at Hecate beside him and Medea, who habitually followed behind him.

I hope I'm not mistaken.

If that's the case, it's worth taking the risk!

"Your Highness, let's go..."

Samael pulled Medea up, placing her between the little girl and the goddess Hecate, and smiled as he offered a reminder.

Hecate gave the ancient serpent a deep look, nodded slightly, and rose to lead the way.

Above the boundless plains shrouded in gray, deathly fog, tens of thousands of resentful and unwilling spirits wandered and scratched before a golden barrier constructed of densely packed divine runes, refusing to retreat.

This wall, called the Wall of Sighs, is the final barrier separating the Pure Land of Bliss from the Underworld.

Once you overcome this obstacle, even the most insignificant spirit can attain the life it has always dreamed of.

But more often than not, they can only watch in despair. And when this obsession completely dissipates, the ghosts will decompose into floating will-o'-the-wisps, eventually becoming pure death energy.

Led by Hecate, the group walked from the ferry crossing, where thousands upon thousands of unconscious phosphorescent lights were already floating on the endless plains.

hum!

The Goddess of the Underworld raised her hand and gently waved her staff. Whether it was the vengeful and persistent ghosts or the will-o'-the-wisps drifting aimlessly, they all fled in panic like mice seeing a cat, leaving a path leading straight to the Wall of Sighs.

Immediately afterwards, the group stepped forward to the light-like barrier. Hecate tapped her scepter lightly, and the brick-shaped divine structures automatically receded to both sides, revealing the Elysian Paradise at its core layer by layer, like peeling an onion.

Following behind the Goddess of the Underworld, the group moved forward with trepidation. After breaking through a layer of water-like obstruction, their weakened senses instantly became several times clearer. The fragrance of the soil, the warmth of the sun, and the chirping of insects and birds were all clearly captured. A strong sense of vitality filled their hearts, cleansing their bodies and souls.

At the same time, Orion, who had been half-dead in Artemis's arms, burst out of the goddess's cleavage like a rat on stimulants, and charged forward madly.

On the opposite side, figures emerged from the fragrant sea of ​​flowers. Upon seeing the guests arrive, their eyes lit up, and they quickly walked over one after another.

Medea the Reindeer.jpg

Chapter 236 Human Pasture (1/2)

Within the Wall of Sighs lies the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.