Visiting the Underworld

Midas wails of misery rang through to Dionysus's castle.

Because of that, Dionysus was unpleasantly awoken from his slumber, which made him feel pretty groggy, after listening to Midas's wails for a few minutes, with the help of his all-seeing-crystal-Ball and seeing that there was no end Midas's wailing, Dionysus bellowed so loud that Midas was temporarily thrown of his rails and stopped continuing his cycle self-loathing and misery.

Midas recognized the voice of Dionysus and instantly felt a tinge of hope, "Dionysus, is that you?"

Dionysus nearly couldn't recognize this Midas, as Midas had eyes swollen red from crying too much, a cracked voice, disheveled clothes, and is all in all a shadow of his former self. Dionysus felt that he was too hard on Midas and should've told him, why to wish for everything that was touched to become gold was a stupid one but alas time that have passed can't be changed, at least not by him.

Midas took Dionysus's silence as approval and instantly bowed down, while pleading, "Oh please great Dionysus, please take this curse away from me, please turn my loved ones, Zoe and Leonidas, back to life."

Dionysus is a petty god who still recalled how Midas spit at his goodwill by ignoring his warnings, that he should rethink whether having the ability to turn things to gold by touch, shouldn't be rethunk. He looked at Midas and said, "And why should I do that? I did warn you, you were the one who treated my warnings as bogus!"

Midas looked infuriated at Dionysus and said with a seething voice, "You warned me? YOU...WARNED...ME? If YOU actually would've warned me like a normal being, all this wouldn't have happened, I would've never wished for this curse, my family would still be alive and well, and I wouldn't be in such misery!!!"

Dionysus was taken aback, he didn't think a mortal would dare oppose his words. Instead of killing Midas instantly, he actually thought about what Midas has said, the more Dionysus thought about the situation, the more embarrassed he felt, because he knew that he was in the wrong here.

He was the one who got offended by a mortal, he was the one who didn't want to tell Midas why the ability, to turn things into gold, is a terrible one and he also was the one who even gave that mortal any ability he wished for...

Midas saw how repentant Dionysus looked like and pressed on.

Midas wasn't a king for no reason, he is a crafty fox and wanted to turn every situation in his favor.

Midas asked him, " äYou are the reason for all the misery I am feeling right now, how do you plan to repay me?

Dionysus knew that he was the one who wronged Midas, but as he was a mighty god, he couldn't just submit to a mortal.

Dionysus thought about something and then said with a malevolent face, "Puny mortal, it seems like I misjudged you, you are a crafty fellow, who brought his own family into their demise, just to have me feeling the need to repay you. You aren't worthy of the blessing I gave you!"

Then Dionysus snapped his finger and tried to revoke Midas's ability, but he couldn't.

Dionysus said worryingly, "...hmm,something seems strange, why doesn't it work?"

Dionysus acted like he was wronged, and acted as if he had misjudged Midas, only so he could uphold his lofty position as a god,and revoke Midas's ability guilt free, but now it seems he slapped himself in the face, since he actually can't take Midas's ability back, for some reason.

Midas knew exactly what act Dionysus, tried to play out, and he was fine with that, as long as his Zoe and his Leonidas would come back to life and as long as he would be rid of that ability, any method would be okay for him.

But the second he heard what Dionysus said and saw his worried face, Midas lost his cool again and stopped playing along with Dionysus charade, "Wha- What's wrong why can't you take this curse away from me"

Dionysus felt pretty ashamed, that he can't remove an ability from a mortal back, that he himself gave, and just said,

"There seems to be a problem with my ability to take your curse away, that probably has to do with this being the first time, that I have to take back a blessing."

Dionysus added solicitous, "Don't worry I will visit a friend of mine, who will help me remove your ability. Your "blessing" will be gone in a jiffy. As for your daughter and Leonidas, seems like I need to go back on my word and ask a certain someone for a favor"

Dionysus thought, and muttered at the same time, "Even through I didn't want to see Hades for the next few millennia, but this is an emergency, nothing I can do about it, I need to save my face after all. I-"

Dionysus instantly stopped muttering, as he noticed that he said the things out loud, that he thought about.

He coughed and faced Midas, "You just wait here and await the sweet smiles of your daughter, and servant, when they turn back to human beings."

After hearing of Dionysus's reassurance.

Midas instantly prostrated himself and repeatedly thanked Dionysus. He swore to himself, that when his loved ones come back to life, that he will devote his whole life to becoming a Good Samaritan.

Then Midas, wearing a pair of eyes filled with determination, and having renewed vigor, looked at the 2 golden statues, of Zoe and Leonidas, beside him, and roared, "I will wait at this exact location, till you two awaken from your slumber. I will not budge even if I have to starve here, this is the least that I can do, to show that I am repenting for my greediness."

Dionysus saw that sighed and thought, "now I actually need to revoke his ability and bring those two back to life, otherwise I would be too ashamed to go outdoors partying again."

After thinking about what Problem Dionysus should to tackle first, bringing back Midas's family, or revoking his wish, Dionysus thought, why not do both of them at the same time.

His thought process was, if Hades, the ruler of the underworld, one of the 3 highest positioned gods, besides Poseidon and Zeus, didn't know why Dionysus can't revoke Midas's wish, then nobody would.

And while Dionysus is in the underworld, he might as well take the souls of the ones Midas "goldified", back to the overworld.

Dionysus now having maked up his mind, thought, "I might lose half my wine chamber again, but I need to right my wrongs, if I can't even help a mortal, I am not worthy enough to be one of the 12 pinnacle gods, in existence.

He clapped his hands thrice and poofed away.

💥💥💥

Back to Dionysus, who found himself in the underworld, a place even bleaker than ones worst nightmares would've allowed the underworld to be envisioned as.

Many ghouls, hades little slaves, flew around tormenting the souls of sinners till they someday become repentant People, who will then be thrown back into the cycle of reincarnation.

People who've been good from the get go, till their death, will have a chance to be reborn through Zeus's Calves or the body parts of other gods.

Exactly this happened to Dionysus, as he was the first mortal that turned into a god. He died while in infantry, which allowed him to become one of the 12 first gods, through his hard work he also became one of the strongest ones, equal to the rulers of the 3 realms, Poseidon, ruler of the seas, Hades, ruler of the underworld and Zeus, ruler of the heavenly realm/ Mount Olympus.

The Godfather of gods, Zeus, never liked Dionysus, as he was only a mere mortal before and could now threaten his position, as the strongest god.

For fear of being overthrown Zeus gave Dionysus the position of God of Wine and Ecstasy, thinking that Dionysus would give up training and fully dedicate himself to his instinctive sense of needing to party.

Among the rulers of the 3 realms, Dionysus only liked Poseidon, but Poseidon was sealed away and later killed for trying to upstart a revolution against Zeus, his soul was thrown into the reincarnation cycle of mortals, in which his godly aura will be defiled, till he someday becomes a lowly mortal, but as he is one of the strongest gods in existence, there is no possibility of him losing his ability of being liked by the seas, because of that he either becomes a mortal with the ability to control sea, to some extend or he will for all eternity be thrown around in the endless cycle of reincarnation.

As for Hades, as the god of the underworld, the one who takes the lives of the mortals, making them unable to party, as they are in hell, Dionysus instinctively doesn't like him.

Also that incident of hades drinking half Dionysus's wine chamber, is still etched into Dionysus's mind, which didn't help improve Dionysus's impression of Hades.

But Hades wouldn't care about him losing the approval of Dionysus anyways, he is a mischievous god after all.

Dionysus didn't dare thinking about the past anymore, for fear of becoming even more infuriated at Hades. Dionysus instantly teleported to the door in front of Hades's chamber, knocked and waited for a voice to let him in.

Dionysus could've instantly teleported in front of Hades, but as he was the one who was wishing to meet Hades and ask for his help, he held himself back and first knocked, lest he barges inside and will be greeted with a no as an answer to his request for assistance, because of hades being displeased with his manner of asking for help.

Dionysus waited for a long while and nearly wanted to storm inside, till he heard a lazy, "who is it? "

Followed with a devilish laugh, after seeing Dionysus enter, and a teasing question, "Oh it's you Dionysus. Just as I have been craving some of your godly wine. My old friend, are you here to give me more of it?"

Dionysus fumed, because he knew, that Hades knew, that the only reason he would visit Hades would be to ask for a favor.

He calmed himself down and said with a smile that was not a smile," Yes... my friend... depending on how great you are able to assist me on my endeavor, I will allow you to drink as much as 70% of wine in my current wine chamber."

Hades, smiling teasingly, "Only 70%? Where is your sincerity in that, it feels like you don't want my help at all."

Dionysus stopped fake smiling and asked begrudgingly, "How much do you want?"

Hades, smiled even more and said, "90 per-„

Mid sentence Dionysus interjected angrily, "90%? What do you take my wine for? It's the kind of wine, gods would start wars for, let alone mortals. At most I can give you 80% take it or I will visit Zeus for help instead."

Hades smiled even more and said,

"Fine, 80% it is, but only because you are my dear friend"

He pulled a contract out of thin air and let Dionysus sign it, 80% of the wine in Dionysus's current wine chamber, for Hades helping him in regards to some matters.

After signing the contract, Dionysus instantly wanted to smack himself, he fell into Hades's scheme again.

That was part of the reason why Dionysus didn't like Hades, Dionysus can't have a normal conversation with him.

Hades always tries to make profit everytime they talk to each other.

Dionysus looked at Hades even more begrudgingly, took a deep breath and deeply thought about why he was even asking Hades for help.