Episode 26: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 26: The Story of Pluto’s Temple – (3)

In the end, I made a compromise.

“Over here, you can see the goddess Lethe, who governs the River of Forgetfulness, and the goddess Styx, who rules over the Styx River…”

“So, does that mean Lord Pluto is married to both of them?”

“The Styx goddess, as in the one who presides over the oaths sworn on the River Styx…”

Next to my statue in the temple were statues of the goddess Lethe and the goddess Styx.

And the two goddesses were looking at them with satisfaction.

“Hmm. This is how it should be. We even have children together, so how could you leave me out? Please make sure to include me next time…”

“Styx… A sword isn’t a child. By that logic, Hades and Hephaestus’s child would be the bident…”

“Shh! Don’t mention that weapon that troubled Kynee!”

How did things end up like this?

Is it because the goddess Lethe boasted about her statue being placed next to mine in the temple?

Or was it the fault of the goddess Styx, who pleaded that she couldn’t be left out?

And Kynee is supposed to be mine…

It didn’t even stop there.

“Is that the statue of Morpheus…?”

“Gasp! Why is there a statue of the god Thanatos?”

“So, all these gods live in the underworld?”

Yes, eventually other gods also asked for their statues to be erected.

Like Thanatos, who approached suspiciously, clearing his throat…

Or Hypnos, who hinted that sometimes mortals didn’t recognize him.

“No, this is just too much…”

“That… that’s the statue of the Furies, isn’t it?!”

Yes, I even made statues of the Furies.

Judging by the intense reactions, the humans seemed pleased.

Even though it’s supposed to be Hades’ temple, the mortals, who had their attention stolen by the numerous statues all around, finally came to their senses…

Only then did they kneel and begin to pray.

“Uh, um… let’s just offer our prayers.”

“Do you think praying to the goddess of forgetfulness will erase painful memories?”

I didn’t expect the temple to attract so many worshippers.

I should have used this method to extend my influence in the mortal realm sooner.

After a busy day with worshippers coming and going in the temple…

“Lord Hades, once again, there were no stories about the Gigantes today.”

Parona, the high priestess of my temple, offered her prayers after finishing her day’s work.

I felt a little sorry for her as she looked exhausted, with dark circles forming under her eyes due to the sudden increase in her workload.

She had to screen those who wished to become priests of Pluto,

command the personnel sent by the royal family due to my oracle, and oversee the offerings.

Parona had many responsibilities.

From the beginning, my temple only had one priest, so it’s no wonder Parona was under a lot of pressure.

After finishing her prayers, Parona collapsed onto her bed.

“Phew… Today was exhausting…”

But if she’s devoted enough to send me direct prayers, I can intervene in the mortal world through her.

I quietly infused her with energy to relieve her fatigue.

Through the invisible thread of faith that connected us, vitality was transmitted to Parona.

“Ah… my fatigue is melting away… Thank you, Lord Hades.”

Work hard again tomorrow and bring me information about the Gigantes.

* * *

The next day, the god Hermes visited the underworld.

“Everyone’s messenger, Hermes, has arrived, Uncle!”

Is he here to tell me what actions the gods on Olympus are taking against the Gigantes?

With a cheerful face, he reached into his robe and pulled out a scroll of parchment.

“The gods of Olympus gathered for a meeting. My father looked serious the entire time.”

He explained that the gods had convened upon hearing the news that a Gigantes had been discovered, posing a great threat to us.

The possibility of another war was discussed, as well as the idea of issuing oracles to humans to find the Gigantes.

Poseidon, who rules over the seas, ordered his followers to check the coasts and rivers,

while hundreds of eagles under Zeus’ command scoured the world.

Other gods, like Pan, the god of nature, also searched the earth, but…

“There was no trace of that Gigantes monster. I wandered until my shoes wore out…”

Wait, your shoes can wear out? Hephaestus’ inventions are really beyond understanding.

I glanced briefly at the winged sandals Hermes was wearing.

Hermes then continued, explaining that according to Athena’s analysis, the Gigantes killed by Cadmus likely acted alone…

But it’s possible that Gaia sent it to test the gods’ vigilance or to observe their reactions.

“If Lord Poseidon and Lady Demeter upend the earth, the creatures might come out… But then again, that would endanger human lives…”

The reason we are at a disadvantage in fighting the Gigantes.

“That seems to be the issue. We have things we need to protect.”

“You’re right. Things are different now compared to the time before you were born, during the Titanomachy.”

During the war with the Titans, it was a full-scale battle where opposing deities fought with all their might.

But now, we have things to protect—humans, living beings.

One might think that it wouldn’t matter if humans died in the fight since they could just be recreated…

But the gods who have grown fond of this world wouldn’t make such a decision lightly.

Many gods have fallen in love with humans, as seen in the case of Cadmus and Harmonia.

Zeus himself has fathered countless children with mortal women…

And even aside from that, it’s hard to ignore those who constantly offer prayers and devotion to the gods.

Punishing a village or a nation is one thing, but wiping out all of humanity is another.

“I’ve already given orders to the nymphs and minor deities to contact me immediately if they find any trace of the Gigantes.”

And Apollo has also issued an oracle at the Delphic temple, warning humans of the dangerous monsters.

It seems the other gods have taken whatever measures they can.

“Well, I must be going now! I still need to visit Lady Demeter!”

“Until next time, then.”

"O Hades, bestow your grace upon the new priests."

As soon as I sent Hermes on his way, I heard Parona calling for me from the mortal world.

Inside the temple, a few people dressed in black knelt before her.

It seems Parona, the high priestess, has chosen some worshippers to assist her.

When they all bowed their heads and clasped their hands together, I could feel the sincerity of their faith.

Good, it looks like she picked the right ones.

I can easily tell if someone is just pretending to pray or faking their devotion to me.

"Thank you..."

"Oh... This is...!"

"Is he acknowledging us as priests?"

As black divine energy enveloped their bodies, I shared with them fragments of my power.

I granted them immunity from minor illnesses and bestowed upon them a blessing that would notify Parona or me if any of them died.

I also granted them a portion of my blessing of wealth, so they wouldn’t fall too far behind the priests of other gods.

Especially considering the followers of Dionysus spreading from Thebes.

It feels a bit like I'm encroaching on my nephew's playground by gathering worshippers in Thebes, where Dionysus has established his presence...

Semele, the daughter of the great Theben hero Cadmus and Harmonia, gave birth to the demigod Dionysus with Zeus.

Eventually, Dionysus ascended to the ranks of the Twelve Olympian gods.

At that time, all the thrones of the Twelve Olympians were already occupied, but...

Hestia, the most benevolent of the Olympians, ceded her golden throne to Dionysus.

Though it was problematic that he retaliated many times over when humans even slightly disrespected him during his ascension to godhood,

There wasn’t much anyone could do, as one could hardly force the god of wine and madness to behave more gently.

I still remember when Pentheus, the king of Thebes, who met his death after offending my nephew, arrived in the underworld.

“This is so unfair! O Hades! I was just trying to do what was best for the people of Thebes…”

“…I see. Why don't you drink a little more of the Lethe water and then continue your story...”

“Aaah! Mother!! Dionysus!!!”

Pentheus, who had died at the hands of his madness-driven mother, held onto his memories even after crossing the River Lethe due to the deep grudge he bore.

It was pitiful to see him scream in a manner that suggested Dionysus’ madness had infected him.

Even Thanatos, who had escorted him to the underworld, wore a bitter expression.

“Take it easy... take it easy. Your madness is too much for ordinary humans to handle.”

“…Since you're the one telling me this, Uncle, I'll be more careful.”

Now that I’ve said this, he’ll likely restrain himself a bit, but…

Can a god of madness truly suppress his madness?

Even as I spoke to him, I honestly doubted it would be possible.

* * *

“Hades...!”

“What’s the matter?”

While I continued observing the mortal world, this time, the goddess Lethe called for me.

The emotions on her beautiful face were a mix of confusion and concern.

“I granted blessings to the worshippers... but I think I made a mistake...!”

Since the statues of the goddess Styx, the goddess Lethe, and mine had been placed together, many humans had mistakenly come to believe that the three of us were married.

As a result, many worshippers prayed to the statues of those goddesses next to mine.

“Some worshippers prayed to me to erase their bad memories... so I erased a few…”

I took a moment to look into the mortal world.

“Who are you?”

“Oh dear! Father… don’t you remember me? It’s me!”

“Get out of my way! Stop bothering strangers!”

“This morning, you said you were going to pray, but why...”

An elderly man, who seemed like he’d soon receive a visit from Thanatos, was arguing with a middle-aged man.

They appeared to be father and son, but it seemed the elderly man couldn’t remember.

“They prayed to me to erase their bad memories, so I just erased a little…”

“How much of that old man’s memory did you erase?”

“I made a small mistake… I erased about 30 years, starting from his most recent memories…”

Oh dear... Goddess, erasing 30 years is hardly a small mistake.

It seems I made a significant error in the process of granting power to the worshippers.

“I'll have to ask the goddess Mnemosyne to restore his memory quickly.”

“Ugh... He was so earnest in his plea, so I just made a slight adjustment...”

In the mortal world, this would be called... memory loss? Dementia, perhaps.

Feeling guilty for accidentally harming mortals, I grabbed the cheeks of the goddess Lethe and gently stretched them.

The goddess’s soft skin stretched under my fingers.

“Ah! What are you doing...?!”

“When granting blessings to mortals, you must always be careful. Especially since humans live, at most, for about 100 years, you need to be extra cautious. To us gods, 30 years might seem like a short time, but to humans, losing 30 years of memory is truly a disaster...”

Am I turning into the goddess Styx? I didn't even realize I was lecturing.

“Okay…”

I didn’t pinch her ears, so why are they turning so red?

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