Chapter 73
And so, I crossed the entrance to the underworld riding the chariot with Demeter.
"I've only heard about it, but is that the famous iron ship of Charon..."
"Demeter?! What brings you to the underworld?"
We also met Charon, who was ferrying souls across the Acheron River, waving his arms...
Gr... Growl?!
"A monster descended from Typhon? I didn't know such things were in the underworld too."
"It's safe. I've infused it with my power to make it a divine beast."
We also saw Cerberus guarding the entrance to the underworld...
"Pick up that parchment that just floated by!"
"Damn. The number of souls has increased due to the recent attack by those Gigas monsters."
"We're short on living space..."
Demeter, who had seen the overworked underworld administrators, sighed deeply and said to me.
Her face was clouded with deep concern.
"How can Kore live in a place like this..."
I returned to where Persephone was staying with Demeter.
My niece was surprisingly well-behaved.
Unlike the tomboy-like demeanor she showed me, she was calmly weaving cloth.
As soon as Demeter spotted her, she rushed over and embraced her.
"Kore! How lonely you must have been in this cold, dark underworld. Now that I'm here, let's go back..."
"I wasn't lonely at all, Mom. Stop treating me like a child..."
"You're so young, how can you stay in this dark underworld..."
"I've eaten food here, and I want to live in the underworld with Uncle Hades."
Persephone pushed Demeter away gently with a sulky expression.
Even though she has considerable divine status, Demeter's overprotectiveness seems a bit excessive.
"Sigh... That's because of Eros's arrow. The feelings you're experiencing aren't normal..."
"I swear by the River Styx that nothing has changed, and I wanted to marry Lord Hades even before I was hit!"
"Wh-What did you say?!"
"Sigh..."
Demeter whipped her head around to look at me.
A oath on the River Styx - no matter how powerful Eros's arrow is, it can't create memories that didn't exist.
The power of the golden arrow... rather, it makes one clearly remember the moment they fell in love.
Therefore... those words are true.
In the case where someone already in love is hit by a golden arrow...
Perhaps that love becomes even more solid, or it can hold onto a love that would have faded with time?
So... it's not that she fell in love because of Eros's arrow,
but a momentary flutter of the heart turned into an unchanging eternal love...!
Demeter looked at Persephone with an expression of utter despair,
and she quietly embraced her mother.
"Ko... Kore... Why did you have to fall for the ruler of the underworld of all people..."
"Well... I was being held by the throat by a Gigas, and he saved me."
"Held by the throat by a Gigas? Are you alright now? So it was during that attack on Mount Etna...!"
"Oh, Mom, really. I'm telling you Uncle Hades saved me right when I was in danger."
Demeter infused divine power into Persephone's body to check for injuries and looked at her with worried eyes.
I guess I should sort things out now.
"Arrows and love aside... you've eaten food from the underworld, so according to the laws, you must stay here..."
"Hades...!"
"But Persephone, aren't you the goddess of spring and seeds? If you continue to stay here, it will cause an imbalance in the world's cycle."
The laws of the underworld were originally created to maintain the balance of the world.
If a goddess of the seasons is completely bound to the underworld, the mortal world becomes endangered.
"Uncle, do you dislike me? I'm really not doing this because of the golden arrow..."
"The oath you swore on the River Styx must be true, and since you've eaten the food, you must live in the underworld... But do you know how important your role is in the mortal world?"
"Ugh... But still..."
"Think about what I told you recently. You're the goddess who oversees one of the four seasons and seeds."
Her eyes drooped slightly, and her voice became small.
"...I understand. I can go up to the mortal world occasionally, right?"
That's a relief. But it's not about occasionally going down to the underworld, but going up to the mortal world...
Are you saying you'll spend most of your time in the underworld?
"I'll only go up when I'm needed as the goddess of spring in the mortal world."
"Sigh... I suppose Hades is better than other male gods who lust after beauty..."
Fortunately, it seems spring won't disappear from the mortal world.
***
To convey the results of the Olympus meeting and also discuss Persephone's situation,
I summoned all the gods in the underworld to the conference room.
Many gods had already seen Persephone, but we should go through the formal introduction process.
"...And so, Persephone will be staying here periodically."
"Hehe. Let me introduce myself again, I'm Persephone who will marry Lord Hades!"
My niece...
"We're already busy, but a new god is welcome."
"Tsk tsk... She seems so young, to be bound to the underworld. Love really does make one lose their mind..."
"M-Marriage?! Who decided on marriage?"
"Putting Persephone aside for now, I'll inform you of the results of the Olympus meeting."
I conveyed to everyone the conclusion that we would connect the outskirts of the underworld and the mortal world to entrust Chiron with the education of heroes.
For that purpose, I've also brought the Omphalos Stone...
"It seems to be an appropriate solution that also aligns with the prophecy."
"We need to place many restrictions to thoroughly silence the hero candidates..."
"But who will be in charge of this? Does anyone have time?"
"Let's put up a barrier in the ravine where heroes will be trained, so they can't dare wander around the underworld."
Since dead monsters and Gigas will also come to the underworld, there will be more than enough training partners for the heroes.
Fighting against monsters that don't die even when killed should raise strong heroes.
"But... can humans withstand the energy of the underworld?"
This is where the problem arose.
Well-trained heroes might be able to, but how can hero candidates endure the power of the underworld?
The underworld is a place that ordinary mortals can only come to after facing death and abandoning their physical bodies.
Even if it's the outskirts of the underworld, the death energy emanating from all directions isn't good for the living.
"Isn't the underworld a place where even a brief stay causes the living to become skin and bones?"
"It might be possible for demigods or fully-fledged heroes, but for pure humans in the underworld..."
"If we exert our power, it will only make the energy stronger... We need a god from the mortal world."
"Uncle Hades, I think I can solve that problem!"
Just as I was thinking about ways to separate part of the underworld, Persephone spoke up.
She wants to try solving it with the power of the goddess of spring and seeds?
"Are you sure you can do it? The underworld is my domain, so it will consume quite a bit of your power..."
"I'll be fine with just one small ravine!"
"Will you be alright? Persephone, even if you're the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, you're not on the level of the 12 Olympian gods, are you?"
"...It's too much for a young goddess like you."
"Neutralizing another god's domain, especially Lord Hades's energy..."
"I can do it! I can't just play around and eat in the underworld!"
It would be perfect if she, who has to stay here periodically because she ate the underworld's food, takes on this task,
but she'll be very fatigued from continuously emitting power in the ravine.
Even if we try to find another god from Olympus...
There's no god who would like to stay in the underworld for a long time.
The 12 gods have heavy responsibilities, so they can't be in the underworld even more so.
"...For now, let's head to the outskirts together."
***
I came to the outskirts of the underworld with Persephone, where heroes will be trained.
Chiron was waiting for me in the vast ravine spread out on the outskirts of the underworld.
"Lord Hades. I've heard the story."
"Yes. As you know, I hope you'll raise heroes here."
"Hmm... I never imagined I'd be training disciples in the underworld..."
"So you're saying it's impossible?"
"On the contrary, there are some good aspects too. Using past monsters who have met death will make for good teaching materials."
Monsters who met death and came to the underworld received the blessing of forgetfulness in abundance and became gentle as lambs.
Some monsters became divine beasts similar to Cerberus and became forces guarding various parts of the underworld...
"Python, killed by Apollo, is also doing well here."
"You mean the giant snake that was the original owner of Delphi."
The serpent king Python.
One of the monsters born from the relationship between Gaia, the earth goddess, and Poseidon, and the original owner of Delphi.
Because it had the ability of prophecy, it sensed that Apollo would kill it and take its place, so it tried to kill young Apollo but failed.
Later, when Apollo grew into a god, he killed Python by shooting thousands of arrows,
and Python's wife, Pythia, surrendered willingly, so he didn't kill her and made her the priestess of the Delphi temple.
Of course, the background that allowed Apollo to kill Python, the child of Gaia and Poseidon...
"Poseidon, Gaia is now our enemy. Including her monstrous children, of course..."
"Hmm... Although it's destined to die..."
"The god of prophecy must be on our side."
It was possible because of the tacit approval of the gods who were in opposition to Gaia.
"There are dead Gigas including Python, the Sphinx dealt with by Oedipus, and the sea monster killed by Perseus..."
"I'm worried the heroes might find this too difficult. Hahaha!"
"Um... Uncle Hades. Shall we start now?"
It's about time to neutralize the underworld's energy.
After telling Persephone to start now, I moved Chiron back.
Rumble rumble...
First, I separate the ravine as much as possible with my power.
After dispersing the energy to minimize Persephone's burden as much as possible...
I nod to Persephone, and a bright light bursts from the body of the goddess of spring and seeds.
Whoosh-
"Eek..."
At the same time, I felt a bright and warm power gently enveloping the ravine.
And I also saw sweat flowing from Persephone's nape and ichor dripping from her nose.
"Ugh... Ungh."
The place for raising heroes was perfectly covered with the divine power of spring.
It's certain, seeing the slight awkwardness I feel, as if something is catching in the ravine that I used to feel as my domain.
But Persephone, having used up all her power, collapsed on the spot.
Thud.
I hurried to her and supported her back.
As I wiped Persephone's forehead, which was drenched in sweat, she looked at me and smiled broadly.
"Are you alright? It seems you've overexerted yourself."
"Haa.. It's a bit tough, but... I'm fine! I'll recover quickly after resting..."
Swoosh-
The goddess of spring, who had consumed too much power, fell asleep in my arms.
I looked down for a moment at the goddess who showed a warm and lively atmosphere even in her completely defenseless state.
"...Lord Hades."
"Persephone being hit by the golden arrow... was fortunate for us gods."
Chiron, who knew the circumstances of Persephone staying in the underworld, quietly approached.
The reason she consumed power excessively to the point of falling asleep is probably because she fell for me.
She proved it by swearing on the River Styx... It's not that she developed feelings for me because of the golden arrow,
but if there hadn't been a golden arrow, I wouldn't have thought of bringing her to the underworld.
I would have just ignored it, thinking it was a momentary emotion of a young goddess.
"...If the goddess of spring didn't stay in the underworld periodically, it would have been difficult to raise heroes."
I was trying hard to ignore it, but...
It's not just those who have been harmed by the gods' rapes or love affairs who come to the underworld.
There are also those who committed suicide because they loved each other so much they couldn't bear to be apart, or those who happily met death on the same day and time.
"Love is such a difficult thing to understand."
"...Even Goddess Aphrodite would find it hard to clearly define that emotion."
I carefully lifted Persephone in my arms, supporting her back and the back of her knees, so as not to wake her.