Chapter 102
The Mount Athos expedition achieved partial success despite Gaia's trap. This is the conclusion I've drawn.
It's a shame that Chrysaor of the golden sword escaped, but considering they fell into Gaia's trap, it's still an achievement.
However, there's something unsettling about Orion's death... Apollo's divine raven moved like that?
That divine beast's intelligence is certainly not dull. It should have been able to predict the path of the golden sword chasing it.
"Lord Hades. About that hero who just died after dealing with Orthrus."
"You mean Orion, Poseidon's son?"
Persephone, who was watching the mortal world with me, spoke with curiosity in her face.
I allowed her to watch the expedition when she begged, saying she wanted to observe it too, and she really focused on it.
The desperate struggle of mortals is but a moment's entertainment for gods... Hmm. It's probably a difference in perspective.
"When I went up to the Olympian palace last time, I saw while looking down at the mortal world."
"Saw what?"
"He was hunting on earth with sister Artemis. He seemed to be a human she cared for deeply..."
Persephone, who hadn't even been to the feasts in the Olympian palace until she met me, has been there now.
She's now known as my wife, so Demeter must have allowed her to attend the feast with peace of mind.
So Orion was the human Artemis cared for... I'm getting an idea of why Apollo's divine beast acted strangely.
But I can't confront the Sun God with just this. It's too much interference to scold my nephew based on suspicion, not evidence.
"So... I'll have to remember his wrongdoing and scold him properly all at once."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing."
Apollo helped me swiftly when I fought Cronos who had descended to the mortal world,
but what he's done this time is quite disappointing.
He probably thought it was just one human... Of course, Apollo has enough reason to think that way.
Essentially, looking down on humans is what gods do, and he also holds the position of one of the 12 Olympians.
With the thought that mortals are not equal to gods, did he think he could blame it on his divine beast's mistake if necessary?
How should I educate this nephew who loses his reason over love and sister issues despite being the god of reason?
But how will Poseidon, who adores his children, react?
Even if Apollo hadn't intervened, the expedition would have been annihilated anyway, so he might just let it go despite feeling uneasy... No, that's unlikely.
I stroked Persephone's head sitting next to me while looking at the mortal world.
The Macedonian army had belatedly rushed in and was working with the heroes to defeat the monsters and clean up the battlefield.
"Hehe..."
Orion will soon come to the Underworld,
and the numerous brave warriors who died there are probably being led by Thanatos by now...
"Lord Hades, the Moon Goddess has come to the Underworld!"
"Artemis has come to the Underworld? Show her in."
Yes, it seems Artemis's feelings for that human were quite deep.
***
"Uncle Hades... Please... bring Orion back to life...!"
I looked glumly at my niece who was kneeling before me and pleading out of the blue.
My niece, with whom I had neither a particularly bad nor good relationship, was begging me with clear tears falling to the floor.
Was your feeling for that human, Orion, to this extent?
For a noble goddess to come to the Underworld and kneel and plead for a mortal, were you perhaps in love?
Even a goddess who swore chastity couldn't escape the emotion of love.
"You know well that it's an impossible request, don't you?"
"But... we were in love. I'm sure Apollo intentionally killed him after finding out..."
"Sigh..."
So Artemis thought the same as I did. But still, I can't bring him back to life.
"Are you doing this because of the incident where I revived Tantalus's son?"
"Yes... You bring back humans who met unjust deaths... Please..."
"But that was an utterly horrific crime, and because he was a complete victim, I returned his soul to the mortal world."
The incident with Tantalus was one that enraged most of the gods.
The perpetrator of the crime is suffering eternally in Tartarus, and the kingdom where he was king became ruins.
It was such a serious incident that I brought him back to life, but...
"In Orion's case, that exception can't be applied. He went on an expedition of his own choice and died as a great hero by Chrysaor's golden sword."
"It wasn't the golden sword... It was brother Apollo..."
"...Even if Apollo killed that human, I can't bring him back to life."
The Moon Goddess, shedding tears from her beautiful face.
Even if Apollo committed indirect murder, the dead are dead. It's not something I can grant at Artemis's plea.
But he is a great hero who died facing Orthrus, child of Typhon. If it's a reward for his deed...
"You may go now. I'm sorry about the death of your human lover. What I can do is..."
"...?"
"Go back to Zeus and tell him that I requested to make Orion a constellation. It wouldn't be bad to honor a great hero engraved in the sky forever."
"Yes. Thank... sob... you..."
"If you wish, I can arrange for you to meet Orion once..."
As we finished talking, the Moon Goddess bowed her head to me and left the audience chamber.
I'm glad she seems to have eased her sorrow a bit. She seems somewhat relieved that her lover will be engraved in the sky.
He has enough achievements to be made a constellation for killing a child of Typhon, and Zeus will probably raise him to the sky without much complaint.
Then maybe Poseidon can find some comfort too. At least I hope he doesn't get angry at Apollo and bury him in the deep sea.
Should I say a few words to Zeus to punish Apollo in case something happens...? I'll have to think about it a bit.
***
At the moment when Hades and Artemis were talking in the Underworld, in a corner of the Olympian palace...
A mother was scolding her son, and the son was extremely refusing something.
It was because of an argument between Eros, the young winged god, and his mother Aphrodite.
"I don't want to! No matter what you say, I won't do it, Mother!"
"Eros, even Hades won't say much about shooting a golden arrow for something like this! Why won't you listen!"
To understand why this was happening, let's briefly look back at the past...
In a kingdom in the mortal world, there lived a beautiful youngest princess named Psyche.
She was so beautiful that humans worshipped Psyche as a goddess descended to the mortal world.
Rumors even spread that she was more beautiful than Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love...
Those who believed such rumors even neglected to offer sacrifices to the goddess.
"I hear Princess Psyche is the daughter of Goddess Aphrodite?"
"Indeed, how else could one explain her beauty?"
"I've never seen a goddess in my life, wouldn't Psyche be far more beautiful than Goddess Aphrodite?"
It didn't end with rumors spreading that Psyche was Aphrodite's daughter.
Eventually, when dust gathered in the temple of the goddess of beauty in the kingdom where Psyche lived and people stopped visiting, it naturally incurred Aphrodite's severe anger.
"Who is this insolent girl who dares to steal my glory?"
Aphrodite's anger grew even more when Psyche didn't correct the rumors or show a humble attitude, but rather seemed to enjoy them.
So the goddess of beauty decided to inflict divine punishment through her son Eros, but...
"Shoot a golden arrow at that insolent girl to make her fall in love with the most disgusting human."
"...I don't want to!"
"What?! You don't want to shoot an arrow at a mere human?"
"Last time I carelessly shot a golden arrow, Lord Hades caught me and made me keep shooting arrows!"
That's right. Eros, who was dragged to the Underworld for mistakenly hitting Persephone while practicing archery last time.
He shook his head at his mother's words, afraid of being dragged to the Underworld to work again.
So back to the present, there was Aphrodite trying hard to persuade her son, and Eros looking tearful.
The goddess of beauty was trying to convince her child to shoot a golden arrow at Psyche by any means.
"Eros. Hades pointed out the place where you were practicing archery, he didn't say anything about you shooting someone."
"But..."
"Think about it. The reason Hades got angry was ultimately about the irresponsibility of the arrows that even you can't control, he won't say anything about you intentionally inflicting divine punishment on a human."
"Ugh... What if he does! I don't want to go to the Underworld again and shoot arrows at those strange mortals!"
"Then are you saying you can't shoot one arrow even though my temple is being ruined to this extent? Even though my glory has fallen to the ground in that kingdom?"
Aphrodite approached Eros, who was holding his head and worrying, and gently coaxed him.
If Hades saw this scene... he would probably say, is it necessary to go this far for a human who won't even live long?
At this moment, the enraged goddess was filled with determination to inflict the divine punishment she desired.
"So, Eros. If Hades questions you, can't you just say I ordered you to do it? Come on. Go there and shoot the golden arrow."
"...Re. Really? Then you'll take full responsibility...?"
"Yes, you can say I ordered you, so hurry!"
Finally giving in to persuasion, Eros heads to the mortal world with his magic arrow.
He probably also had some thought of seeing the face of Psyche, who was said to be as beautiful as to be compared to the goddess of beauty.