Hercules immediately set sail, calling for the benevolent goddess Medusa to appear.
The goddess materialized amidst the spray of waves. Upon learning of Hercules's purpose, Medusa appeared hesitant.
"My blood possesses magic because it received the blessing of the World Tree. The Spring of Wisdom, while breaking curses, also infused this divine power into my bloodline. It transcends the limits of death, granting mortals the strength to resist the god of death."
"But this comes at a price!"
Medusa's brow furrowed. "Eos, the goddess of dawn, also had a lover who gained eternal life, yet he ultimately chose to renounce it, bringing endless pain to Eos!"
Hercules pleaded repeatedly. Medusa sighed, took out a crystal vial, and handed the voluntarily given blood to Hercules.
"My blessing should not exist for this purpose, Hercules. I hope you will not regret this."
With that, Medusa withdrew the blessing she had given to the descendant of Perseus and vanished into the waves.
Following Asclepius's instructions, Hercules offered the blood voluntarily given by the Gorgon goddess, awaiting the resurrection of the old scholar Linus.
However, the god of medicine broke his promise. Asclepius, having accepted the sacrifice, did not revive the deceased Linus. The scholar's corpse began to rot, teeming with maggots, its foul odor attracting the insects to feed.
Hercules's wait was filled with torment. Finally, when only Linus's skeleton remained, the agonizing anticipation turned into boundless rage! Disregarding the priests' attempts to stop him, he stormed into Apollo's temple and smashed Asclepius's statue!
Even then, he was not satisfied. He cursed Linus and Asclepius's father – the supremely powerful Apollo – "O gods who break their oaths! You are unworthy of sacrifice!"
Saying this, he also toppled Apollo's statue. Apollo, witnessing this amidst the priests' wails, looked on, his anger ignited by the collapsing idol.
"Hercules, defiler of the temple! I curse you! Madness will consume your reason, and your children will be killed by your own hand!"
Apollo's fury alarmed the Muses who accompanied him. They had come to comfort Apollo after the loss of his son, but instead, they witnessed Apollo, provoked by Hercules, reveal a side contrary to joy.
The god of medicine had not broken his oath. Upon receiving Medusa's blood, he immediately applied it to Linus, and the dead body instantly regained vitality.
However, the soul of this brother by the same father had already been taken by the god of death. Without a soul to inhabit it, the body still succumbed to decay and corruption.
He descended to the Underworld, hoping to retrieve Linus's soul. But how could the gods of the Underworld accept such an unreasonable request? Hypnos, wielding his scythe, drove Asclepius out of the realm of the dead.
Asclepius fled in disarray, but he did not give up.
Under the cover of night, the god of medicine, holding his serpent-staff, disguised himself as a human soul and, guided by the moonlight, returned to the Underworld.
Selene, the moon goddess, did not notice the hidden god of medicine, and after escorting them to the banks of the Styx, she turned and departed.
The denizens of the Underworld were bustling about, paying no attention to an unusual soul gazing around the Styx. Before long, Asclepius found Linus among the souls staring at the river. The old scholar beat his chest in regret, his remorse causing the vibrant flowers to bloom even more profusely.
However, the god of medicine found himself unable to leave the Underworld. No matter how far they walked, they would return to the River of Obsession. The ground covered in blood-red flowers seemed boundless, displaying their beauty at the furthest visible reaches.
The dim, hazy moonlight illuminated the gloom. The river's surface reflected the moonlight and the flowers on its banks, the hazy yellow and blood-red interweaving to create a tragically beautiful scene.
"The power of the three primordial gods restrains the souls of the departed. Until their regrets are released, they cannot leave the River of Obsession."
Ripples spread, blurring the reflections on the water. Styx, the goddess of fate, emerged from the water and explained to the bewildered god.
"Asclepius, god of healing! You are doing something foolish. Your life may become the sacrifice in this transaction!"
Styx sternly warned the god of medicine. "Death is a gift. Humans seek the meaning and value of existence within their fleeting lives. If they possessed eternal life, their spirituality and wisdom would inevitably be lost! The gods will not allow you to bestow a miracle that removes death upon humanity. Their endless demands will be unbearable for the earth."
Asclepius only wished to escape quickly. He said to the goddess, "O guardian goddess of the Styx, this noble soul is the son of Lord Apollo. He was accidentally killed by a student. I am bringing him back to the human world to be resurrected by order of the Lord God."
Styx was not deceived by the god of medicine's lie. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. "You will drag a soul that has found peace into a vortex more painful than death, young god. The punishment bestowed by the gods has not been rescinded. The malice hidden in human hearts is far more terrifying than death."
With that, Styx's body sank into the water and disappeared.
The god of medicine was somewhat panicked. He shook Linus, awakening him from his regret. "My half-brother, cast aside those pointless attachments quickly! I will take you back to the earth to be resurrected, and your family will be able to feel your kisses and embraces."
Linus, regaining his senses, heard that he could still be resurrected and immediately broke free from the illusion's temptation, grabbing the god of medicine's hand and escaping the Underworld.
The rules of death had been desecrated, and Thanatos immediately sensed it. He roared and spread his wings, pursuing the soul that had escaped the Underworld.
The god of death hovered beside Linus's body, waiting for the soul to return. However, deaths occurred constantly. Without Thanatos's assistance, Selene, the moon goddess, and Hecate, the goddess of prayers and sorcery, soon found themselves unable to cope. Many souls unwilling to come to the Underworld seized the opportunity. They avoided the moonlight and the crossroads, heading to remote wildernesses to live among wild beasts.
Thanatos eventually left. The laws and the gods were displeased with the god of death's dereliction of duty, forcing him to abandon his vigil. Hypnos, unwilling to accept defeat, invited his brother, Eurynomos, the god of decay. The god of decay, responding to the invitation, allowed maggots to steal Linus's vitality, transforming the body into a foul-smelling insect nest.
Only then did the god of death depart, roaming the earth to capture the escaped souls.
Linus's body had already rotted, and Asclepius was powerless. He could not possibly let Linus remain with his family in the state of a decaying corpse.
After much deliberation, the god of medicine decided to find a recently deceased body, one that still retained a spark of life, for Linus to inhabit.