Episode 69: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 69: The Story of Persephone – (4)

“Huh?”

Finally noticing the golden arrow lodged in her chest, Persephone pulled it out.

As the goddess touched the arrow, having fulfilled its purpose, it dissolved into the air.

“This is… Eros’ golden arrow?”

Eros, the god of love, took the form of a child carrying a bow and arrows.

He possessed both golden arrows of love and lead arrows of hatred.

The golden arrow caused anyone struck by it to fall madly in love with the first person they saw,

while the lead arrow made them feel intense hatred for the first person they saw.

Perhaps due to the nature of love, the arrow was swift and discreet,

so the exhausted and battle-weary Persephone couldn’t avoid it…

“It really was… a golden arrow?”

“Sigh…”

And now, Persephone, who had just been struck by the golden arrow, looked at me.

It seemed that I would now be loved by my niece.

…What do I do about this?

As I stared in disbelief in the direction the arrow had come from, Persephone spoke.

“But I’m perfectly fine? Maybe it was a mistake? Hehe.”

“…Even Zeus would fall in love if hit by that arrow.”

Though she was smiling at me now, pretending everything was normal, the emotions stirring inside her would soon overflow.

I had clearly seen her get struck by Eros’ arrow. I couldn’t pretend it didn’t happen. How on earth am I supposed to handle this?

Her father is Zeus, the king of the gods, and her mother is Demeter, the goddess of the earth…

One wrong move, and this could lead to a real war.

“But… I’m really fine. By the way, are you heading back to the Underworld now?”

“I’ll stay a bit longer to take care of things here before returning.”

The aftermath of the battle with the Gigantes had left the area in complete ruins.

It looked as though Zeus’ thunderbolt or Poseidon’s trident had struck, with the land overturned everywhere, and countless cracks riddling the earth.

Mount Etna, which had sealed away Typhon, had been shattered by the force of my attack,

and the once beautiful forests, plains, and streams of the landscape lay in a mangled mess.

Most of the nymphs were either dead or had fled, nowhere to be seen…

As I surveyed the destruction, the traces of nature’s devastation enough to make Pan himself gasp, my niece reached out her hand.

With that, I felt a warm and gentle divine power.

“Uncle Hades! Let me help. I’m the goddess of spring and seeds, so I can do things like this.”

Swaaa—

From Persephone’s hand, a green wave spread, gently caressing the land.

Grass grew beside the fallen trees, and the barren plain began to regain its color.

Of course. The goddess of spring is far better suited to restoring the land than the ruler of the Underworld like me.

It would’ve been easier if Pan or Demeter were here, though…

“How did I do? Pretty good, right? I usually only use this when playing with the nymphs, but for something like this…”

“…Yes. You did well.”

My niece, chatting away, seeking praise, was truly adorable.

Even among the beautiful goddesses of Olympus, she stood out with her exceptional beauty.

With her golden eyes and hair inherited from her father, Zeus, and her figure perfectly proportioned,

any lustful male god would gladly welcome the fact that such a goddess had fallen for him.

“What are you thinking about while just standing there? Tell me too!”

But she's my niece…

* * *

“Whew… It's all done. I’ve cleaned everything up.”

While I meticulously searched the surroundings for traces of the Gigantes,

Persephone had managed to restore much of the ruined land.

“Well done.”

“Hehe… So now you're really going back to the Underworld, right? I want to go too!”

I froze at the words that came out of Persephone’s smiling mouth, blooming like a fully opened flower.

This is exactly the problem…

Those struck by Eros’ golden arrow fall into an absolute state of love.

Not even Zeus, I, or Poseidon could resist the power of such emotions.

Among the souls that came to the Underworld, many had been struck by Eros' arrow during their lives, so I knew well its effects.

If both parties confirm their love and one accepts it, it ends happily.

But if one party refuses, or if social status differences prevent the love from being realized…

They’d take up arms and kill those who stood in the way of their love, or weep bitterly and commit suicide,

or clutch their bursting hearts and go mad, cursing the gods.

The expression “blinded by love” is quite fitting.

If I were to reject my niece outright, what would happen…

“I think you like me because of Eros’ arrow, but those are false feelings. I can’t take you to the Underworld…”

“What… what…? Sob… Waaah!!!”

“No matter how much you cry, I can’t take you to the Underworld…”

“If… If I die, I can go to the Underworld! Even if I have to die…”

Yes, the goddess would attempt suicide on the spot.

If the goddess of spring and seeds, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, threatened to kill herself at the gates of the Underworld…

“Your Majesty! We have a problem! Yesterday it was snowing, but today the sun is scorching hot…”

“The season of spring has vanished! The gods must be angry!”

“Seeds are no longer sprouting! There must be some trouble among the gods on Olympus!”

The world would be thrown into chaos because the goddess of spring and seeds had abandoned her duties.

Naturally, her mother, Demeter, would…

“What?! My daughter tried to kill herself to go to the Underworld… What? She was struck by a golden arrow and fell for Hades, but he rejected her?”

“The earth has completely dried up!”

“After receiving a prophecy from Delphi, it is clear that the goddess Demeter is furious…”

“No crops can grow on the earth anymore, O Zeus…”

Demeter is bound to do something drastic.

She’s not like a gentle deity such as Hestia; she’s more in line with someone like Artemis.

If her emotions run wild, the earth will dry up completely, and the number of humans arriving in the Underworld will only increase.

And that’s not the end of it.

Her father is Zeus, the king of the gods.

“So, Hades rejected Persephone, and as a result, she’s trying to kill herself to go to the Underworld…”

“Yes, Father. After speaking with Lady Demeter…”

“Demeter abandoned her duties because of that?”

“Yes…”

“…No matter that it’s my brother Hades, he’s gone too far this time. I’ll have to talk to him.”

The Underworld will be flooded with complaints, documents of protest raining down, and the souls of the starving will surge in.

Mortals and immortals alike will curse the Underworld.

All the disasters I’ve just imagined in my head…

could happen if I don’t bring my beautiful niece, who’s now laughing foolishly in front of me, to the Underworld.

“Uncle Hades? So can I go with you now? Hehe… I’ve always been curious about what the Underworld looks like.”

Though she’s smiling happily at me now…

If I provoke her too much, chaos will descend upon the world.

“Staring at me like that is making me a little embarrassed… Hehe…”

By Zeus, good grief.

I’d rather fight Father Cronos again.

* * *

There’s no choice.

I’ll have to take her to the Underworld first and find a way to gently calm her down.

“…Alright. I suppose I can at least give you a tour. Follow me.”

“Wow! Thank you, Uncle!”

Persephone threw her arms around me.

Do I accept this? If I don’t, she might cry, asking if I don’t like her…

Sigh.

I could feel her soft figure and the fresh scent of spring against my chest, tickling my nose…

“Hehehe…”

This is driving me insane.

Is this really happening? Am I really taking my niece, struck by Eros’ arrow, to the Underworld?

“Enough with the hugging. Get on the chariot.”

“Hehe… Your chest is so broad… Can’t I stay like this?”

“…It’s uncomfortable. Sit beside me.”

“Okay!”

With Persephone happily sitting beside me, we headed to the entrance of the Underworld.

“Wow! These horses are so cute!”

Snort?!

Stop petting the ghost horses’ manes…

A goddess with energy completely opposite to theirs suddenly stroking them from behind is confusing them…

We somehow arrived in the Underworld with her.

Even in the dark landscape of the Underworld, Persephone showed no fear, only gazing around with curiosity.

“Wow, there’s a cute dog here too?”

“That’s Cerberus, the child of Typhon. I brought him here and made him the guardian of the Underworld.”

Growl?! Snarl?

The three-headed dog was bewildered by the goddess who suddenly took an interest in him and petted him incessantly.

The fearsome gatekeeper of the Underworld, trying to gauge the relationship between me and Persephone, eventually rolled over, showing his belly.

Pant pant!

“Uncle Hades! Look, he’s so soft! Hehe!”

He might look soft, but he’s still a powerful monster.

He could probably tear apart a few Gigantes if he wanted to.

“For now, I have a lot of work to do, so wait in this room. If you need anything, ask the attendant.”

“Okay! …Oh wow. Did you make this too?”

Snarl?! Pant pant!

I need to discuss the Gigantes with the other gods, so I’ll leave her with the attendants for now and come back later.

I also need to catch up on the backlog of trials and check on the current state of the Underworld…

“Lord Hades! You’ve arrived at just the right time. There are urgent matters that require your approval…”

“Morpheus. Is it about the souls again?”

“Ah, if you could take a look here…”

“We’ll need to discuss this with the other gods…”

I had a brief conversation about work with Morpheus and signed off on some documents.

He hurried off, saying it was time to deliver dreams to humans.

Now, I headed back to the room to fetch Persephone.

Crunch. Munch.

And there she was, my adorable niece, eating a pomegranate from a small dish.

Who put a pomegranate in this room? Was this originally a resting area for other gods?

Wait a minute… according to the laws of the Underworld, anyone who eats the food here…

“Hehe… Uncle Hades! You should try this! The fruit is so fresh, even though it’s from the Underworld!”

As I watched her, with red pomegranate juice dripping from her lips, I put a hand to my head.

…Oh, damn it.

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