1 Reincarnation (Prologue)
"Hmmm"
The prince of the underworld Zagreus started thinking what would be an enjoyable thing to do to shave off his boredom while his father, God of the Underworld lord Hades was away.
"Ah! Than, could you bring me the next soul you fetch" having thought of something, Zagreus immediately rushed towards his long time friend, God of Death, Thanatos
"What are you up to now, Zag?" Thanatos asked in his low and eerie voice
"Nothing much, I just wanted to have fun now that mother and father are off to Olympus"
"They just left Zag, and you're already looking for trouble. Besides Mother Nyx is here and wouldn't let you do as you please"
"Aw, come on Than, just one! I'll ask Nyx about it just bring me the next one" Zagreus faced his friend Thanatos with a pleading look
"Haa, fine, but make sure to consult Mother Nyx before you do your plan"
"Yes, of course, of course!" Joyful by the answer of his friend he quickly ran to see Nyx and ask about his plan
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In Nyx's chamber
"What is it, Child?" Nyx asked as he saw the speeding Zagreus towards her way
After Zagreus stop in front of Nyx the goddess of the night, he hesitated for a bit before telling Nyx his plan
"So, you wanted to have a soul replace you in your duties?" Nyx questioned Zagreus
"Well, not really replace. I just want to have fun. it's been a while since I did anything besides trying to escape this wretched place. I'm not going to make him replace me permanently, maybe until father and mother came back" Zagreus tried to explain his side
"Child, what you're trying to do is using an unrelated soul to do what was supposed to be your task. Remember the rule of this world, even us gods are not above it."
"I know, I know, every action has its own opposite reaction or something. I'm not going to let him do it for free. I will give him my word that if he manages to escape, I will use my authority to have him undergo rebirth" Zagreus gave his assurance to Nyx that he knows what his doing
"So, you understand, very well but you will explain to your father once he returns"
"Do I really have to?" Zagreus scratched his head in Nyx's answer
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The god of the Underworld, Lord Hades came back after a short vacation (in gods time, like 20 – 50 years in mortals time) after his visit to Olympus. Once he got back to his castle in Tartarus, he saw a crowd of shades and in the middle of it was his son, Zagreus holding a magical orb that lets you survey the areas of the underworld. Realizing that no one was noticed his arrival, he moved towards the crowd and looked towards the orb that his son was holding.
In the orb, he could see a mortal soul fighting through an infinite number of wretches of the underworld paving his way towards the surface. Hades was shocked at what he was seeing that he quickly shouted in his place.
"ZAGREUS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Hades' voice reverberated all throughout his domain and all the shades and wretches quickly shook in fear.
"F-father you're back! Where's mother?" Hearing his father's shout Zagreus became nervous and tried to redirect his father's attention
"Do not try to change the subject on me boy! Answer the question!" Hades announced standing tall in front of the slightly shaking Zagreus
All the crowding shades quickly escaped the place leaving only Zagreus to suffer his father's terrifying look all alone.
Zagreus explained to his father what he had done while he was away. While Zagreus was telling his story, Hades' scowl deepens as he hears Zagreus's words.
"You're telling me that a soul picked by Thanatos was subjected to endless torture just for your enjoyment?" The look on Hades' face could not be described. I can only say that he looks furious
"Not really? I followed Nyx's advice to give him compensation once he successfully escapes"
"YOU BLASTED FOOL! Did you not know what you have done? Did you follow the proper procedures before you did all this? Was he even judged?" Hades shouted once again hearing the clueless answer of his son
"Yes, he was judged. He was nothing but an ordinary mortal. He wasted his life watching and reading what they call 'anime' until his time of death"
"Hmm, did he drink from the river of Lethe?" Hades started to calm down once he heard that he was at least judged
"Ah, I might have forgotten about that" Zagreus scratched his head in embarrassment once his father mentioned the river. It was ironic that he forgot to make the mortal soul drink from the river of forgetfulness
"Did he know that he was supposed to roam the Asphodel meadows instead of suffering this unending torture?" the once calming face of Hades returns to having a deep scowl
"He didn't know about the Asphodel meadows I think, but I told him that it was purely optional for him to participate. He was dismissive of what I was saying until he heard the word rebirth. He blabbered nonstop about isekai or something and he quickly agreed."
"Haa, if you did everything I asked, you only need to reincarnate him somewhere and that would be the end of it. But you forgot almost every single necessary step that you need to increase his compensation now or the fates might have to trouble you for a while" Hades sighed in defeat and quickly instructed his son
"Now ask someone to find what that isekai or whatever that is. It might help you find suitable compensation for him once he finished his task. And once he did, we're going to have another one of our 'talks' later"
Zagreus could only hang his head in shame since he knew he messed up. He knew that no one would save him from his father's 'talk' later since his mother didn't come back with Hades.
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'Almost there' the mortal thought after he defeated the bull of Minos, and Theseus, the founder-hero of Athens. After suffering an unknown number of times, the mortal finally regains hope in passing the trials given to him by the prince of the underworld, Zagreus.
He was an ordinary man when he was alive. The only thing that would make up his day was watching anime and reading manga. One day he died, just like that. With no trace left behind the world aside from his internet username sakmabols69420. He was fetched by death itself. And once he got to the underworld a man claiming to be the prince of the underworld with the name Zagreus, offered him a deal. He didn't understand what the deal was, but he immediately agreed after hearing the word 'rebirth'.
'Isekai! It's finally my turn!' is what he thought at the time. When they finally shook hands to finalize the deal he was immediately left in front of the gates to Tartarus. The prince only bid him good luck before leaving. Not knowing what to do, he started walking around, there he finally understood that he was duped.
After 'dying' a number of times in Tartarus, the prince approached him once again. The mortal immediately asked the prince what was happening and Zagreus explained it to him once again. When he finally understood, he shook in his place and started wailing. He shouted that he was scammed over and over again. Seeing the mortal's reaction Zagreus sighed and offered to help the mortal since for him it wasn't entertaining seeing the mortal die over and over again without even fighting back.
The prince Zagreus asked his mentor and friend Achilles, the hero of the Trojan war and the greatest of all the Greek warriors to teach the mortal the art of combat as he did to him. Achilles became fascinated by the prince's offer agreed. And thus, started the mortal's training arc.
After an unknown amount of time, after dying a multitude of times, he finally made it to the gates of hell where the fearsome three-headed hound, Cerberus was guarding. It was the first time he made it this far and he didn't want to give up now. He did not want to suffer Megara the fury's whip in Tartarus or fight the undead of the Lernaean Hydra in the skin melting heat of Asphodel or have a bickering fight with Theseus while trying to run away from the Bull of Minos in the middle of the Colosseum of Elysium.
After passing through a couple of temple rooms filled with an endless amount of savage vermin and aggressive Satyrs, he finally saw Cerberus standing tall at the gates of the underworld. Looking around vigilantly for any soul that would ever come near him. The mortal hid in a corner for a while before breathing deeply then charged at full speed towards Cerberus while holding his spear forward ready to stab the beast.
He did not know what happened but he manages to stab Cerberus. But he quickly realizes that instead of piercing the three-headed hound, his spear broke. When he saw his broken spear and Cerberus looking towards the part that he 'poked' he immediately lost all hope. One of Cerberus' head was moving towards him while opening its mouth. He thought that it was over since he would Cerberus would eat him and he needed to start over again, but to his surprise, the head went and took the sack that was hanging around his waist and quickly moved away.
The mortal had a shocked look on his face since he already gave up hope. But it was lucky for him that he bought Cerberus' favorite snack, a satyr sack full of food that the satyrs eat. He was saving it up since he wanted to try and eat it after he got out since it would be the first time since he never ate anything since he was sent to the underworld.
Fearing the beast might suddenly return, the mortal quickly dashed over the gates of the underworld and opened it. Once he came out of the cave outside the gates, he once again saw the mortal world. With the never-ending sky looming above and the ground filled with grasses and trees. He couldn't help but feel excited since he finally made it out. But before he could celebrate, a black mist suddenly materializes in front of him. After the mist faded, a giant man and Prince Zagreus could be seen.
The mortal was about to shout towards the prince when the giant quickly summoned his spear in his hands. He was shocked by what was happening and looked towards the prince.
"Look, sorry my good mortal, but father also tries and stops me whenever I tried to escape. I think it's only fair that he does the same" Zagreus explained to the mortal with a helpless look on his face
"Oh, by the way, this is my Father, you may not have met when you came in but he is the lord of the underworld, Hades" the prince swiftly added before running in a corner
The mortal became speechless. He could only think to himself that he was being toyed. He started to regret ever accepting the prince's offer. Just when he was about to kneel in defeat the lord of the underworld, Hades spoke.
"Hmm, there is no way for a mortal like you to ever fight a God. Even Cerberus would have been impossible if you weren't lucky enough to bring his favorite snack." Hades said
The mortal started to shake but then he heard Hades spoke again.
"But I wanted to reward you for your valiant effort anyway, it was quite a task for a normal mortal to be able to slay your way from Tartarus all the way to the surface and for that I applaud you"
Hearing the words, the mortal gained hope once again. With just a little more, the mortal could feel like he could not take this roller coaster of emotions anymore.
"I say this, my son would fulfill his deal with you but you would need to lessen the compensation that he needs to give" Hades announced while still looking at the mortal
The mortal became confused by Hades' words. Seeing the look on the mortal's face Hades began to explain the situation.
"So, in exchange for letting you 'escape', you would be granted the chance to rebirth. You can have one wish but it can't be anything excessive. Or you can try and fight me for the chance to gain everything that was supposed to be yours."
The mortal was once again surprised about what was supposed to happen if he manages to escape on his own. His desire began to boil but it was immediately quelled when he looked at Hades emitting a terrifying black aura that would look like it would swallow anything around it.
The mortal was about to answer when another black mist spawned in front of them and a woman came out.
"Nyx!" Zagreus shouted as she was surprised by the sudden appearance of the woman
The woman did not look towards the prince despite him calling her out. Nyx only stood in front of Hades and said
"Lord Hades, we have a problem"
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"What! Those blasted fools where do they think I could get such soul!" Hades shouted after Nyx told him the problem
The group in front of the underworld entrance was suddenly surrounded by a thick black mist then they were all teleported inside the castle in the underworld, including the mortal.
The two then started discussing the predicament they are in. Zagreus and the mortal only stood by the side listening to the two. Zagreus was slowly becoming bored so he started talking to the mortal.
"So, how was your journey?"
Before the mortal could speak Zagreus continued.
"Anyway, I was amazed at how you 'disassembled' the bone hydra without having God's strength! That was unimaginable! I thought you would despair when your attacks didn't work but after your first death with Lernie you manage to take him apart piece by piece! That was marvelous! Also, your fight with Megara was also great. But I needed to pacify her immediately after she revived. She wanted to hunt you down in all of the underworld since she suffered humiliation being defeated by a mortal. She took all her anger on me on the be-"
The prince immediately stopped when he heard his father slam the table in front of them.
"Where in all of the world would I find a soul that could withstand a divinity of a god without breaking apart! The only ones that could potentially withstand it are demigods but you could not count on those blasted lot! Maybe a soul that has been tormented for all eternity would do. But most of them are sinners atoning for their sins"
While Hades is listing out possible candidates Zagreus spoke out.
"Uh, Father"
But Hades did not hear him speak since he was still deeply thinking Zagreus shouted once more.
"Father!"
"What! We'll solve your problem later. This is the most pressing matter"
Hades irritated and was about to leave the room when Zagreus spoke again
"Wait, Father! I have a candidate in mind"
Hades stopped in his step and turned around to face his son
"Who is it, boy? If you jest about this matter, even I would not be able to save you. Speak"
"How about him?" Zagreus pointed at the mortal beside him
Hades looked at the mortal before he started thinking deeply once again. The mortal did not know what was happening but from what he heard, he didn't want to die as soon as he revived once again. The mortal was about to decline the prince's suggestion when he heard Hades speak.
���Hmm, it might work. He suffered tremendously in trying to escape the Underworld and he also managed to gain the acknowledgment of Achilles. But we need to make adjustments to make sure it works"
Hades immediately instructed Nyx to deliver a letter while he ran out of the chamber. Nyx disappeared in her spot and the only ones left in the room were Zagreus and the mortal.
"See that? You need to thank me now! I did you an extremely huge favor!" said Zagreus proudly while looking at the mortal
The mortal was going to refute the prince but the doors of the chamber suddenly opened.
"Your proposition was accepted, boy. But we needed to make adjustments. The god's divinity would be sealed until he can fully withstand it"
Hades started explaining what was going to happen but the mortal was only glad that he wouldn't need to die just after he revived in the world again.
"Do you understand?" Hades asked looking at the mortal
Not listening to what Hades was saying, the mortal panicked. He didn't want to upset the lord of the underworld so he only nodded his head. Zagreus then quickly interjected.
"Great! Now both problems are solved. You helped the underworld and you get to isekai. It's a win for everyone"
Hearing Zagreus's words the mortal was shocked. He was about to ask what was happening but the prince did not stop his words.
"- and I don't need to be punished by the fates. Oh, by the way, what was your wish? You get one, right?"
Hearing the word 'wish', the mortal stops his thoughts. He started to think about what he wanted. After thinking for a while, he was about to say what he wanted but Zagreus once again interjected.
"Wait, don't say it. Let me guess, you want to keep your memory, right? That would perfect the isekai experience from all the books Charon gave me last time. Am I correct?"
The mortal was stunned, but since that was what he wanted he could only nod his head. He then realizes that ever since he got to the underworld, he hasn't spoken even a word. He started to think if the gods have something similar to mind reading.
"Now that that's out of the way we can start. Father?"
"Very well, but his memories about the underworld would need to be erased. I do not want anyone to know that someone managed to escape the underworld under my watch"
Zagreus shook by his father's words since he shared the vision of the crystal ball in Olympus while his father was there.
"I do not want to be a laughing stock once more by my stupid brothers"
Zagreus could only nod his head then he looked at the mortal.
"You heard Father's words. Only the memories of your time in the mortal world would remain"
The mortal was about to complain but he stops when he saw the look on Hades' face. It is like it's saying 'Do not push your luck'
"Okay, I'm going to start now," Zagreus said as he changed his usual easy-going look with a serious face
"I call upon the Fates, with the permission of the Underworld and my blessing as the God of Hunting and Rebirth. I send this mortal soul back to the mortal realm once more."
After hearing Zagreus's words, the mortal waited but nothing was happening. He was about to ask when Zagreus laughed.
"Hahaha, I can't. The look on his face, the anticipation, the disappointment. Hahaha, I'm just joking, you need to enter that portal and you would be reborn in a new world" Zagreus pointed at the portal that spawned behind the mortal while laughing
The mortal was shocked, he turned around to see the portal but when he saw it, he suddenly felt someone pushing him from behind. He tried to see who it was but he didn't manage to turn around before he sank into the abyss.
"There, done!" Zagreus said as he was acting like he was dusting his hands
"Why did you give him your blessing boy?" Hades asked, he knew that the words of Zagreus earlier was not a joke and it was an act to give his blessing to the mortal.
"Well, it's compensation. He was supposed to choose which world he would revive. But we made the choice for him so I thought we needed to compensate him for that. And he helped the underworld anyway" Zagreus looked at Hades
"Well done, boy. You're starting to th-" Hades nodded his head in approval of Zagreus actions but he frowned when he heard the continuation of Zagreus words.
"And with my blessing, I could observe him from here. It would be less boring then hahaha my great plan was a success" Zagreus looked proud at what he did before walking away from his father.
Hades could only facepalm at the antics of his son even after centuries of being together in the underworld.
