Chapter 24: The Story of Pluto's Temple - (1)

After many years passed, in Hades' office.

The king of the underworld was judging souls and selecting those who would go to Elysium.

An attendant approaches him, seemingly with something to report.

"Lord Hades, in the underworld now..."

"Let them in."

What entered was the soul of an old man with blonde hair fading due to aging.

I recognized who he was at a glance.

"A distinguished guest has come to the underworld."

"Do... do you know me...?"

The first human who deceived Typhon and stole Zeus's sinews, founded Thebes, defeated Drakon Ismenios, the evil son of Ares,

and after serving 8 years as punishment, finally received Ares' forgiveness and married his daughter Harmonia.

The great hero Cadmus was prostrating himself before me in fear.

"As expected, your memories have disappeared after crossing the River of Forgetfulness. Mnemosyne, could you bring a little water from the Pool of Memory?"

"Alright, Hades. It should be fine for Cadmus."

Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.

When the dead cross the River Lethe and drink its water before coming to my fortress, they lose all memories of their life.

However, if they drink from the Pool of Memory, which is opposite to the water of the River Lethe, they can regain their memories of life.

Well... occasionally, souls who died with very strong grudges retain their memories of life even after drinking from the River of Forgetfulness...

Anyway, the goddess who oversees this Pool of Memory is Mnemosyne who just left.

She's also the mother who bore the Muses, goddesses of learning and arts, after spending nine nights with Zeus.

Cadmus's memories gradually return as he drinks the water brought from the Pool of Memory.

His hazy and confused eyes gradually become clear, showing the demeanor of a great hero.

"Ah... Lord Hades. It's been a very long time since I've seen you."

"Yes, it's been a long time. I was too busy to attend your and Harmonia's wedding."

He smiles gently and bows, having regained all his memories.

Just like when he first met me.

"It's alright. You're the lord of the underworld, so of course you'd be busy."

"Weren't you disappointed that I didn't come to the wedding?"

"Haha... I would have been even happier if you had come, Lord Hades."

"Hmph. You've grown better at joking with age."

The reason I restored Cadmus's memories of life was simple.

What would the great hero, who was bold even in front of Typhon, think about his life?

I wanted to hear it directly from his mouth.

"What do you think about the life you lived?"

"What do you mean...?"

I continued speaking with a slightly bitter expression.

"The curse of misfortune you received as punishment for killing Ismenios, Ares' son."

"Ah..."

"I also feel sorry for the tragedy of the Theban royal family you established. Although Ares himself regretted it later..."

Once a curse is cast, even a god can't undo it.

I heard that Ares quite regretted cursing Cadmus earlier when he gave his daughter to him.

It was the first case of a human marrying a goddess, but the end wasn't good.

Due to the curse of misfortune, Cadmus and his wife closed their eyes after turning themselves into snakes because of the continuous tragedies of their descendants.

"If only I had become a snake..."

"Father Ares... Please don't leave my husband alone. Me too... Please turn me into a snake as well."

Cadmus fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.

This hero, who achieved feats recognized by all but ultimately became unhappy due to the gods...

Would he resent the gods who abducted his sister, cast a curse, and ultimately made him and his wife choose death due to their descendants' misfortunes?

"I am not one who doesn't know the grace given."

Different from back then?

After a while, he spoke again.

"Ares' curse... I can understand him. What parent could forgive someone who killed their son?"

"Hmm."

"Rather, I'm grateful for the short 8-year punishment and the generosity of giving me his daughter. And..."

Just like when we first met... Not lies spoken out of fear of punishment from me, but the truth.

Even though the end of his life was unhappy, he's still noble even after experiencing death.

"Thanks to that, I was able to meet my wife who followed me even in the inevitable death."

Harmonia was the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares, and the goddess of harmony.

Unlike Drakon Ismenios, she had divine status with immortality, but she chose to face death following Cadmus.

"The tragedies of my descendants are also my fault, so who could I blame? Ruling Thebes with my wife was enjoyable in its own way. The remnants of Typhon I discovered in the middle were a bit concerning, but..."

"Typhon's remnants? Did they look similar to Typhon?"

"Yes. Although much smaller in size, it was a very powerful monster with a snake lower body and human upper body like Typhon. I had quite a hard time killing that monster."

Snake lower body and human upper body.

And Cadmus, who was strong enough to kill Ismenios, said he had a hard time.

My face gradually hardens.

Could it really be Typhon's remnant... or could it be another monster I know?

"But since I didn't find any more of Typhon's remnants after that, I didn't bother telling the gods... Lord Hades?"

There's a possibility it could be a Gigas.

***

"Where did you find that monster?"

"Ah... I was taking a walk near Thebes when I heard a strange sound and followed it to a cave. That's where it was."

Cadmus said he saw a giant half-human half-snake monster devouring people there.

And when he drew his sword and fought... surprisingly, even Cadmus, who had defeated Drakon, had quite a hard time.

Not all Gigantes have equal strength.

Fortunately, the individual Cadmus encountered was one he could handle.

Was it hidden in a cave, out of sight of the Olympian gods?

If our grandmother, Mother Earth Gaia, is using all her power to hide the Gigantes' locations... even Demeter might not know.

Although Demeter is the goddess of the earth, her power is clearly below Gaia's.

Unlike when we drove out the Titan gods, they have the right of first strike.

I think perhaps they set a trap deliberately to lure in the gods,

or it could have been independent movement of some individuals.

But to be sure if it's a Gigas, we should first have the goddess of memory confirm.

"Mnemosyne, could you check Cadmus's memories for a moment?"

"Alright. Close your eyes for a moment."

Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, reads Cadmus's memories by placing her hand on his head.

After a short while, she looks at me with a serious face and nods.

Damn, it is a Gigas.

"I see... Well then. For now, you've been recognized for your merits in life and granted qualification to enter Elysium."

"Ah... Elysium... Thank you! Lord Hades!"

"The same goes for your wife, live happily there."

It was the moment the first residents of Elysium, the paradise, were born.

He will rest peacefully in Elysium forever with his beloved wife.

Although I had a pleasant conversation with Cadmus after a long time, my heart was not at ease.

A Gigas that the underworld soldiers couldn't find was discovered in Thebes...?

But I don't have much time to go around looking for the Gigantes myself.

I can't neglect the affairs of the underworld to wander around the world of the living.

Then should I refer to Apollo's case of interfering with the mortal world through his temple?

"O priest of Delphi, I have come from far away..."

"Are you here to receive Apollo's oracle too? Wait for now."

But unlike Apollo, who has various divine attributes and can even prophesy, who would gladly worship the underworld?

In reality, Apollo is widely worshipped in the mortal world and his temple on Delphi is famous, but...

In the world of the living, I have only one temple, and it's only in Thebes.

A temple that Cadmus built in his country during his lifetime, thinking of his connection with me.

"Contact Olympus and tell them we've found traces of the Gigantes, and bring Morpheus to me."

"Yes!"

A while later, Morpheus was summoned after hearing the soul soldier's message.

"What's the matter, Lord Hades? Have I done something wrong..."

"I'm not here to question you about occasionally giving humans nightmares as a hobby."

He makes a surprised expression.

Did you think I wouldn't know? Anyway, I'm not going to make an issue of that for now, so let's move on...

"I need you to help me a little."

***

Thebes, the country founded by the great hero Cadmus.

The only temple of Hades in Thebes, no, in the entire world.

As it's a place that serves one of the Big Three, it should be bustling with humans wanting protection, but...

"Yaaaawn~"

Only flies were buzzing around here.

Pharona, the priestess of Hades' temple, was sitting with a bored-to-death expression.

No visitors, people avoiding her because she's the underworld's priestess,

and the only good thing about being Hades' priestess is that no one ever picks a fight with her?

She's a maiden of marriageable age and one of the top ten beauties in the city, but...

Even the ruffians who boasted of their strength in pankration didn't even speak to her, let alone flirt.

"Sigh... I'm so bored..."

They were clearly afraid of the consequences of being dragged to the underworld if they messed with Hades' priestess.

But because of the name value of the underworld god, the temple itself became an object of avoidance.

"Why am I so sleepy even though it's daytime..."

Although it was Hades' temple built by order of the founding king, the great King Cadmus of Thebes, it was far too quiet.

So quiet that no one would notice even if the only priestess fell into an unnatural sleep.

***

When Pharona opened her eyes again, it was not in the temple.

A space filled with darkness where she couldn't see an inch in front of her.

As a priestess who received higher education, she quickly assessed the situation and prostrated herself.

"I... I don't know which god you are, but do you have something to command this lowly human?"

She thought she had fallen asleep, but when she opened her eyes, she was in a different world.

Her memories were clear and her body moved well, so it couldn't be an ordinary dream.

Clearly, a god had intervened.

But she didn't think it was Hades, the god she served.

Her lord had been silent for far too long.

A low, chilling male voice heard from somewhere in the darkness.

"I am Pluto."

....!

Pluto, the alias of Hades, the lord of the underworld.

Then, was it to judge her for not managing the temple properly?

She was about to make excuses hurriedly, but she had to close her mouth again.

"You are my only priestess in the world of the living. I will give you a small reward and a task for your devout heart."

A reward and a task... So you do have something for me to do!

"From now on, you will revitalize my temple. I will bestow a blessing to help with that."

A body that doesn't move due to fear.

Vision that darkens again.

With the knowledge violently entering her mind as the last thing, she woke up from the dream.