 Apollo again helped the newlywed king, this time by making the [[Moirai|Fates]] drunk, extracting from them a promise that if anyone would want to die instead of Admetus, they would allow it.And when the day of his death came near, no one volunteered, not even his elderly parents, but Alcestis stepped forth to die in his stead.Shortly after fighting with [[Thanatos]], [[Heracles]] rescued Alcestis from the [[Greek underworld|underworld]] as a token of appreciation for Admetus' hospitality.