This tale is unlike those of which came before

Those dreamish depths of hellfire we must now explore

This tale takes us on a journey down below

It tells the story of what a man must sow

He shall surely reap

To cheat Death is no small feat.

Once upon a time there was a king

The immortals praises he did so frequently sing

He lived high atop a hill, Corinth of Greece his keep.

But at the hour of his unfortunate passing, he did not utter a peep.

The king's passing was untimely

For you see, Sisyphus was not one to follow blindly.

Death came strolling up from Hades at a leisurely pace

Unwittingly, walking straight towards a relay race.

Our tale starts off at the hour of death

Hades' right-hand man sent to collect the last breath

Now, sit back and enjoy

While we read about the wickedest trick since that wooden horse at Troy...

"You must be Thanatos..."

Thanatos noticed that it hadn't been so much as a question from the middle-aged man, but a frank statement. The mortal's hazel eyes were alight with a spark of fear and dread, but there was another emotion hidden down below; just behind the façade of ease.

The god of death removed his hood from his head and smirked knowingly at the man. Of course, it was not the most difficult assumption to ponder. Thanatos was standing in front of a dead man, his feet firmly placed on the red soil of the Underworld. The river Styx was rushing by behind them and the man's eyes kept darting towards Thanatos' large scythe.

It gleamed in the dark moonlight.

Now, normally Chiron would be the one to escort the poor man to his selected section of the vast hellish lands, but Hades was adamant that his right-hand man be in charge of the ushering. This was only the second task given to the Old Family's bright star- his first having been to collect the young maiden Persephone in order to wed her uncle.

Thus far, Thanatos was just delighted that he didn't need to brace anyone for another wedding...

The red-eyed god examined the former king of Corinth. Apparently, he was a bit of a cheat and trickster. Nothing, Thanatos was sure, would be an issue for him.

"Does the scythe give me away?" Thanatos chuckled and gestured to his favourite toy.

Sisyphus hid a gulp behind a chuckle of his own. "Good to know Death has a sense of humour..."

"A bit late for wishful thinking, friend." Thanatos smirked and gestured to the path to the king's left. "Come. We have a field to get to. Get walking."

"But um... What if I forgot something?" Sisyphus asked and gestured in the direction from which he'd come- up.

Thanatos lifted a brow. "You do realise that you're dead, right?"

"Am I though?" The man laughed softly and smiled cheekily. "I thought my soul would be taken? My body made into a ghosts'? I am whole down here and yet, you say I am not? I am dead. Truly?"

"I will have your soul. In due course." Thanatos pointed his scythe at the man, using it as motivation for Sisyphus to get moving. "Once I do, you belong here."

"Only then?"

"Why do you ask when you do know that there is no other option?" Thanatos scoffed and stepped forward.

This was enough motivation to get the man moving. He jumped back, scared of being too close to his ultimate demise. The former king smiled innocently and held up his hands; "I do not mean to bother you, Thanatos. I am your humble subject. Trust me."

"I barely trust the weather. Start walking or this blade will remove a limb."

Persuaded enough by his love of both arms and both legs, Sisyphus heeded Thanatos' command. The young god followed behind after the mortal, his eyes locked onto his target. The man had a strange coloured soul. It was nearly cyan, with streaks of green. Thanatos couldn't tell what the taste would be, but he knew that it would be a flavourful treat.

Hades only ever personally punished the wicked ones; or at least those he couldn't figure out. Sisyphus had been a known charlatan before his death; he was infamous for hosting immortals at his lavish parties in his domain. Zeus was a frequent visitor.

Of course, Zeus was not exactly the best judge of character...

"Do you mind if we took a breather?" The dead man asked after about ten minutes of walking.

Thanatos sighed and rolled his eyes. He tilted his head and gestured to a rock beside the pathway leading up towards the judgement hall. The night sky was filled with stars and the heavens streaked with clouds.

Sisyphus nodded and sat down on the rock, wiping sweat from his brow. He would never in his wildest dreams have thought that this was the Underworld. It looked far less dreadful and far more inviting- like a flame to a moth. Was it all a disguise to place the poor damned souls at ease, until the final judgment is done and the hammer hit, then the world crashes and burns with a hellfire?

Maybe. Maybe not? Sisyphus was not planning on finding the answer any time soon.

Thanatos had his back to the dead man, but he wasn't naïve. He could hear the faintest of movement and would know immediately if Sisyphus so much as cracked a toe. The man was not running off, that's for sure...

But...

It could also be too quiet?

Thanatos swung his head back after he realised that there was absolutely no noise coming from behind him. The young man frowned when he saw the former king slumped against the back of the tree, his head lulled to one side and his eyes closed.

Did he just faint?

Thanatos sighed and huffed up his chest. He was in no mood for this. Why did Hades always give him the tiresome tasks? Why couldn't it just be a normal job, for once?

Thanatos stepped closer and lifted his hand up to tap the man on his shoulder.

The god had no qualms about the sudden comatose state of his detainee- it's not like the man could die twice or anything...

With the speed of a viper, Sisyphus snapped a metal chain onto Thanatos' wrist, leaving Thanatos no time to deflect it off. And once it was on- it was on. The chain would not unclip, no matter how hard the god of death tried!

"What have you done?" Thanatos shouted and snarled at the man.

Oh, he was going to kill someone twice today!

"My apologies, Death, you seem like a pleasant man, but I am not dying today." Sisyphus sprang back from Thanatos and clasped the other metal clasp against the base of a large statue of Hades. The statue was nearly twenty metres high and made of solid marble, decorated with dark gold accents.

Thanatos was a strong and tough god, but he was nowhere near as strong to be able to lift that. No one was.

"Get back here, you bloody idiot!" Thanatos growled with rage as he tore at the metal clasp on his wrist. It was stuck pretty tight.

"I'm afraid it's useless." Sisyphus winked and gestured to the lock. "I once hosted Hephaestus in my palace and as a gift, he forged the finest, most durable chain known to man and immortal alike. You cannot break that chain, Thanatos."

"I will break this and your little head, you fucking donkey!" The god of Death was livid. His red eyes were alight with fury and shock- no mortal had ever been so brass and stupid enough to try to trick the angel of the end. And what's worse is, he'd succeeded!

The sheer shame Thanatos felt was unbelievable.

To make matters worse, Sisyphus was being so haughty about it too. He chuckled and stepped back a bit more. Thanatos' rage was so potent that the mortal's confidence in his unbreakable chain was being tested.

"Well, I'll be off then. So sorry again about this Thanatos, but I am far too young to die."

"This will never work!" Thanatos actually wasn't too sure if it would or not?

"I think you'll see that it will..." Sisyphus turned around and waved back at the trapped god. "Chaire!"

"Come back here, malaka!"

The man ignored the shouting immortal and jogged back the way they'd came. He was escaping and Thanatos could do nothing but watch in horror. The god of death flicked his hand up to cast a spell to trap Sisyphus in an electrical shell, but a puff of black glittering dust was the only thing that erupted from the space around his hand. His magic had been drained! What more could these chains take from him? His damn dignity was laying, trampled on the floor.

Thanatos slumped his shoulders and watched with annoyance and silent rage as the man disappeared from his view, running up the hill and back to the portal which would bring him to earth. This was a disaster.

Hades was going to laugh his fucking ass off...

The god of war shouted loudly over the thrill of battle. The opposing centaurs scattered when they noticed that Ares had arrived on the battlefield.

Nothing brought the immortal more joy than jabbing a spear through the heart of an enemy, and he tried to do just that.

A rough centaur rushed towards. Ares lifted his spear and fulfilled his favourite pastime, while dodging the opposing sword of the angry beast. But just as he ripped out the spear from the centaur's chest, the man's eyes flickered and stared with worry and angst at the immortal. Slowly, the battlefield's boisterous levels quieted down as men and gods noticed that nothing was happening.

A man sliced another's chest with a sword, but the poor soul didn't fall down or die. He just stood, perplexed at what was happening. The pain was still there and the blood matted the muddy ground, but death was absent?

Ares growled into the heavens; "What the hell is going on?"

The men all shrugged around him and tested the anomaly on themselves. Ares slit his own wrist and watched as the blood flowed like a red river from his arm, until it dried up without any explanation and his own death slipped away too.

Under his breath, Ares muttered; "Thanatos... You asshole."

Thanatos lost track of the time after the tenth hour of solitude. Normally, some peace and quiet would be much appreciated by the god of death, but in his current predicament, he was severely agitated with the serenity of the river Styx.

There was no one to be found for miles!

Why had he decided to escort Sisyphus along the private pathway? Dammit; Thanatos thought as he rested his head back against the marble statue that was his captive. The chains were bound tightly around his wrist and for the first five hours, he'd tried everything in his power to rid himself of this bloody punishment.

Nothing worked.

Not his strength, not his magic, not his cunning... If only he could seduce and charm himself out of this dilemma. Alas...

Thanatos sighed loudly and glared at the crows sitting happily on the branches of the large Jacaranda tree. The purple blossoms were bright and lovely this time of year, thanks to Hades' new bride. If only Persephone was around to help, or better yet, Hypnos. He'd know what to do.

Gods, Thanatos was going to murder Hephaestus whenever he got out of these chains. But first, Sisyphus...

"THANATOS!"

The god of death jolted upright when he heard his name being screamed into the wilderness.

"Here!" Thanatos shouted back; "I'm here, dammit!"

"Thanatos?" The bound immortal recognised the voice- it was Ares. Normally, he'd cover his ears and roll his eyes, but after being stuck for so long, Thanatos was actually excited to see the god of war.

"Yes! Here! By the statue! It's me!"

Ares rushed around the corner, having followed the voice of his old enemy, and met the eyes of a desperate god. "What the hell are you playing at, dick?"

"Get me out of these damn chains!"

Ares ran up to Thanatos and his eyes widened at the scene. Thanatos wriggled the chain, demonstrating that it was on pretty tight. "Get it off, Ares!"

"Who did this? What is this?"

"Hephaestus gave these to a man I was meant to kill! He trapped me. I've been here for hours!"

Ares grumbled and shook his head as he tried to pry off the chains. "Why didn't you just break it with your magic?"

"Oh, gee..." Thanatos said sarcastically. "I hadn't thought of that. What do you think I've been doing for the past twelve hours?" The immortal screamed at his old friend. Well, friend was a bit of a stretch...

"Calm down, drama queen!"

Thanatos sighed loudly and watched as Ares tried every possible move Thanatos had for the last tiresome hours of the early morning. "Why are you even here?"

"You want me to leave?" Ares shouted at him in frustration.

"Answer the damn question!" Thanatos snarled.

"No one was dying so I came to see what trick you were pulling! Happy?"

"Oh, gods... Earth must be in chaos!"

"Who cares about earth? I can't kill anyone, for fuck's sake."

Thanatos glowered at the man in front of him and ripped back his chained arm. Ares and his eyes met with a glare and Thanatos calmly said. "You are of no help, whatsoever."

Ares growled back. "I have a solution."

"We cannot blow up Hades' statue." Thanatos rolled his eyes.

Ares chuckled and crossed his arms. "That wasn't what I was about to suggest."

"I don't like the look in your eye..." Thanatos said softly and with a very suspicious tone.

Ares looked down at Thanatos' wrist and his smirk grew.

Thanatos frowned and followed his eyes. Ares moved one hand to the hilt of his sword.

Thanatos clicked and his eyes widened. "No."

"Yes."

"Not in your wildest dreams!"

"It's the only damn way, Thanatos!"

"No!"

"Stop being a baby! It'll be quick!"

"I refuse!"

"I'll slice it off quickly!"

"Don't act like it's the same as getting a haircut!"

"What else do you think we can do, huh?"

"Blow up the statue?"

Ares unsheathed his sword and sighed, shaking his head. "It's the only way."

Thanatos stepped back, until his heel hit the marble. "Don't act like you're torn up about this! You can't wait to slice me apart!"

"A little bit..." Ares shrugged and pursed his lips. He gestured with his index finger and thumb exactly how little. Thanatos didn't find it cute or adorable.

He snarled, but knew that it was unfortunately the most effective and the quickest way to rid them of this ordeal. Death was a natural order- without it, Earth was left in anarchy.

"Alright, but I swear to the gods, if you slice off more than-"

"Relax. I know what I'm doing."

"I highly doubt that." Thanatos muttered.

Ares grabbed his hand, but Thanatos ripped it back; "Wait! Maybe you should knock me out-"

WHACK!

Without another word, Ares smashed the hilt of the sword onto Thanatos' head and the god of death passed out against the marble statue.

"Gods, he talks so much, doesn't he?" Ares muttered to the crows and grabbed Thanatos' hand back, aiming his sword at the right place...

Sisyphus was enjoying a glass of his finest wine as the party bustling around him screeched to a halt.

His kingdom was invited to a celebration of his immaculate resurrection and he was enjoying being hailed as a sort of deity for the night.

He demonstrated that he'd defeated Death and so, the partygoers and followed suit- re-enacting his death-defying deed by trying to kill each other. The party was rowdy and the people were fascinated by the fact that Death was no more.

A man jumped down from the top balcony and landed ten metres down on the hard stone. He stood up and clapped, so ecstatic that he was alive! No more did death have a hold on them!

But the party had stopped the second a man plunged a dagger into his wife's stomach, both laughing at the entire ordeal, but then her blood didn't stop and her breathing hitched.

Sisyphus chocked on his wine.

Shit.

Shit and double shit.

Death was free.

The man screamed bloody murder as his wife died in his arms and the rest of the party was suddenly thrown into a loud and chaotic distress, filled with mayhem as a darkly dressed figure appeared on the steps of the throne, leading up to where Sisyphus sat.

The black smoke floated up the stairs and the hooded man sneered up at the king.

"I hope it was worth it..."

"T-Thanatos!" Sisyphus crept back and stood behind the throne, looking for some way to escape, but he knew it was futile. "How nice to s-see you again!"

"I have an excellent new torture method, Sisyphus..." Thanatos lifted his one arm up. It was bandaged and his hand was missing. No doubt it would eventually return after a few hours, but the shock of it, made the king's skin crawl. "And I am so eager to try it out on you, dear friend..."

That concludes the tale of Sisyphus and his cunning plan

It goes without saying, Death waits for no man

The god of war was back to his killing

And the former king of Corinth was still so unwilling

But Thanatos took his soul right then and there

Leaving no space for another horrid scare

Of course, Zeus would hear of the mortal's devious trick

He wasn't about to let his deviance stick

So he punished the mortal king to a devious task of his own creation

A task without any sign of culmination

Doomed to roll a boulder up a hill without any end in sight

Sisyphus learned that Death was a nature no man could ever fight...

And that concludes my version of the infamous Sisyphus tale...

Sisyphus did cheat death one more time after the first incident, but I've decided to skip that part, because I don't think Thanatos would take the chance of letting him get away with it so easily the first time.

Once again, thank you so much to everyone who helped get The Blue Dawn to 1 million reads! Absolutely amazing, guys! 

Love, D Xx