A cold wind howled, and ghostly wails echoed.
The vast wilderness before the Acheron River in the Underworld, known as the "Fields of Truth," was overgrown with black poplars and barren coconut trees. A ferocious beast, Cerberus, guarded the Hell Gate leading to this place.
Originally, the souls would not linger here for long. They would soon arrive at the River Styx, and with the help of Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld, cross the river to the Fields of Truth to face judgment.
However, due to the overwhelming number of deceased on Earth, Charon, being the only ferryman, could not quickly transport all the souls across the River Styx. Consequently, a large number of souls were congested in this Fields of Truth. Some patiently waited in line, hoping for an early judgment and their final destination, while others, based on their relationships in life, gathered in small groups, chatting and bragging. Cerberus, who was dozing beside the Hell Gate, paid them no mind. As long as they did not escape through the Hell Gate, Cerberus's master, Hecate, would not punish him.
Among these lingering souls were, naturally, the Atlanteans who had recently died in the War and divine punishment.
The Atlantean commander who led two thousand five hundred Atlanteans to fight against the Athenians was also here. They had been stranded here for many days. Initially, he made a profound self-critique to his subordinates, admitting his failure in command. However, the Atlanteans, who knew the inside story, did not blame him much. They all knew that the Atlantean commander's hasty deployment of troops was actually due to an oracle from Poseidon, which involved an unauthorized mobilization of the army. He had no way to stop it.
Afterward, the Heroes reconciled and naturally elected him as the commander of this group of Atlanteans. However, not long after them, another group of souls from Atlantis arrived in this garden. Most of these souls were commoners, and upon inquiry, it was learned that they had all died due to Poseidon's divine punishment.
This was not surprising; it would be strange if Poseidon did not blame the Atlanteans for the failed operation. So, this former King of Atlantis, one of the ten Kings, again apologized to these Atlanteans in a gentle tone and explained in detail how Poseidon had urged them to "hurry up," seeking the commoners' forgiveness.
After all, everyone was already dead, and before Hades, there was no distinction of noble or ignoble status; all beings were equal. This Atlantean King simply set aside his royal pretense.
After some explanation, everyone tacitly blamed Poseidon for everything. The commoners and the Atlantean warriors also reconciled, gathering together in a huddle, quietly waiting for Charon to ferry them across the river, lest they be bullied by people from other countries in this garden.
However, as the Atlanteans quietly huddled together, they were unaware that two Gods had been observing them from above for a long time.
"Are those the Atlanteans?"
Through the magic circle she had opened, Hecate gazed at the thousands of people gathered in the garden below and quietly asked:
"They seem quite normal, not at all like their chief God, who suffers from intermittent manic episodes. Why would they believe in Poseidon of all people?"
"There's no choice, they need to make a living," Ares replied. "Teacher, do you think everyone in this world is like you, able to ignore others if they wish? They are mortals, and they live in the sea, so naturally, they have to make a living from Poseidon."
Hecate turned her head to look at Ares. At this moment, Ares was performing the final debugging. Beside him, a low-level spiritual familiar summoned by Hecate had transformed into the appearance of an Atlantean soul. It was now making corresponding movements along with Ares's actions.
When Ares smiled, it would also smile. When Ares pretended to be angry, it would also show an angry expression on its face.
"Are you ready?"
Hecate urged.
"Time waits for no one. I still have to wait for Hades to hear the news and actively ask me about it. What if he falls for it before then?"
After the Olympus Gods concluded their meeting, Ares immediately broadcasted the matter to the Moon Goddess. Like Ares, Hecate also disliked having Zeus's spy as a leader above her. Therefore, she and her disciple once again hit it off and began to plan this scheme.
"Coming, coming."
Ares said, stepping forward and manipulating the low-level familiar, which had transformed into an Atlantean commoner's soul, into this Fields of Truth.
The moment the familiar landed, Cerberus perked up his ears, his fierce gaze fixed on it. However, he then saw his master Hecate and Ares standing behind the familiar, separated by a teleportation gate, smiling kindly at him. So, he quickly curled back up, pretending not to have seen anything.
The soul, controlled by Ares, pretended to be a newcomer, appearing dazed and bewildered. It looked around at the other souls in confusion as it moved towards the Atlanteans' location.
When it was halfway there, some of the Atlanteans noticed it. Then, a noble soul shouted:
"King, look over there, aren't those our people coming again?"
The Atlantean commander looked over upon hearing this and also noticed the dazed soul. He looked for a few moments, then confirmed:
"Indeed, they are our Atlantean people. No other city-state wears such attire. Perfect, let's go ask him about the current situation in Atlantis."
So, this group of Atlanteans walked up and stopped the bewildered Atlantean commoner's soul.
"Hey, you over there."
Hearing their voices, the aimlessly wandering soul stopped and turned its head somewhat confusedly, looking at them.
When he saw that this group of souls in front of him also wore Atlantean attire, some of whom appeared to be nobles and royalty, he quickly exclaimed with surprise:
"You are—oh, I never expected to meet my compatriots even after death!"
"You are indeed an Atlantean."
Hearing the Atlantean soul's words, the Atlanteans present were also delighted. They asked one after another:
"You died after us. What happened to Atlantis after our death? Has Poseidon's divine punishment ended? Is Atlantis still safe and sound?"
"Ah, that..." Hearing the questions from his "compatriots," the Atlantean soul sighed deeply, a bitter expression on his face: "When I died, Atlantis... was not doing well."