Chapter 77
After Persephone and Eros came to the underworld, the welfare of the gods originally working in the underworld greatly improved.
Of course, this included Eros, who was tasked with torturing serious criminals by drawing his bow day and night...
But surprisingly, it was because Persephone showed amazing enthusiasm in helping with the underworld's affairs.
The goddess of spring, clumsy yet diligently helping other gods in her first-ever job.
Feeling that her simply being infatuated with me wasn't enough reason, I decided to approach and ask her directly.
As I approached where the gods in charge of paperwork were working, sounds of suffering soon reached my ears.
Gods carrying armfuls of parchments were commonplace, and I saw some gods passing by busily without noticing me.
They're all working hard...
"Ugh... When will this ever end..."
"Ah. Lord Hades, you're here."
"Nectar... I just want to drink a cup of nectar."
Standing out among them was a goddess with long golden hair.
My niece, moving her quill pen while slowly turning over the mountain of parchments piled up in front of a long desk.
She gave off such a decadent feeling that it was hard to believe she was the lively goddess of spring...
"Persephone."
"Ah, Uncle Hades...! Just a moment. Let me just process these documents from the souls' residential area..."
"...? Alright."
Honestly, I was a bit taken aback.
Disappointment dripped from her golden eyes, but she still turned back to her paperwork.
Why on earth is she acting like this?
Dong- Dong- Dong-
"Mmm! My neck is stiff..."
"I'll just take a quick nap, wake me up when the bell rings again..."
After some time passed, the mountain-like pile of parchments decreased, and a short break time arrived.
Even in the underworld, we don't make them work without any breaks.
We are immortal gods who don't need to eat to survive,
but thanks to the memories of our previous lives of taking breaks during lunch and dinner times, we regularly ring a bell to give leisure time in the underworld.
Of course, it's quite different for Charon, Thanatos, and serious criminals...
"Huh. Lord Hades?! When did you get here...!"
"Perhaps... Ah. Did you come to see Lady Persephone?"
The gods who finally noticed me tried to pay their respects, but I waved my hand and looked at Persephone.
The gods tactfully left their seats, and I spoke to the goddess.
"Is someone... forcing you to work in the underworld?"
"Huh? No?"
"Then why... are you doing this much? You're the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, so I was thinking of giving you some convenience..."
"Be-Because a goddess who's clumsy at work isn't Uncle Hades' type, right? I'm just trying my best!"
What on earth are you talking about? Since when did workaholics become my type...
Persephone puffed out her chest and spoke as if emphasizing something.
"Goddess Styx and that minor goddess Menthe said so too?"
"...?"
"They said you won't even glance at someone who can't do this much. All the goddesses aiming for Uncle Hades..."
Why on earth are such rumors circulating?
It's not like I can go around correcting each goddess individually...
"In the first place, you're in charge of periodically infusing power into the outskirts of the underworld, so it's fine if you rest..."
"It's different! That's a reward, and this is competition!"
"...?"
"Hmph~ Hmph~ It's trivial, so you don't need to know, Uncle. Hehe!"
Dong- Dong- Dong-
"Ah, it's time to work again! See you later in the evening!"
I felt somewhat uneasy, so I didn't probe any further.
***
"...Then we'll leave this to Goddess Mnemosyne... Are there any more matters for me to approve?"
"That was the last one, Lord Hades."
"Good, Morpheus, you can go back and rest now. You'll have to work hard again from tomorrow..."
Creak.
Just as I was about to take a break after finishing the day's work, the audience chamber's door opened slightly, and a goddess entered.
It was my niece, Persephone, whom I had visited earlier.
"Goddess Styx isn't here... neither is Lethe... Hehe!"
"...? Persephone?"
She came carrying snacks that mortals in the living world eat, like dates and figs.
Persephone sat down on the floor next to the throne with a silly smile.
"Uncle, if you're not busy, would you like to chat with me?"
"But isn't it about time for you to go back to the living world?"
It's time for the promise with Demeter.
Actually, I think the deadline has passed a bit...
"I like the underworld too... I don't want to! I want to stay a little longer...!"
My niece pouting cutely with puffed cheeks.
Still, you should go up not too late. Won't your mother worry?
Thanks to her, the underworld's work has become quite comfortable over the past few months, so giving her a little time...
Well, if we chat for a while, she'll probably go back, right?
"It should be fine for a short while, but..."
"Hehe... Then Uncle, would you like to hear my story first? When I was in the living world..."
Stories about playing and making bets with nymphs near Mount Etna...
Stories about happily chatting and speculating about gods, stories about her mother and my sibling, Demeter, and so on...
I could learn a bit more about Persephone.
Who would have thought she had such modest hobbies like weaving and watching plays...
"Eh... I'm talking too much about myself. Tell me about you too, Uncle!"
"...?"
"Like the appearance of a goddess you like, or what's attractive to the opposite sex..."
I turned away from her as she asked with sparkling eyes.
What is she saying now...
"There's nothing like that."
"...Tch. Then tell me some old stories! You've lived for a long time, so you must know lots of stories..."
What good is living long... But as you say, I do know quite a few stories.
Starting from the story of our father Cronos, who existed from the beginning...
"Have you..."
"Yes?"
"Have you ever climbed to the top of Mount Olympus?"
"Uh.. Just once! Mom didn't take me to Olympus much..."
"...I still can't forget that scenery."
I closed my eyes for a moment to reminisce about the past.
Persephone waited quietly without speaking to me.
Long ago, when I was born and first climbed to the top of Mount Olympus...
When I first felt the desire to live in this world for a long time...
The reason we fought so fiercely in the war against the Titan gods.
The reason we all sought to dominate the world was because of that ambition.
That's also why everyone coveted the sky that Zeus now rules.
Yes, that sense of omnipotence, looking down on everything from that high sky...
Remembering that time, I shared stories of the past with Persephone.
"Wow... Even Uncle Hades, whom everyone says is detached, had such a time."
"That's how it was back then. As I ruled the underworld, I gradually came to like this place."
As I reminisced about the past and talked with Persephone for a while, quite some time had passed.
Isn't it really time for you to go now, my niece?
As I was thinking this, the audience chamber door opened, and a messenger rushed in.
"Lord Hades! The goddess of the earth, Lady Demeter, has come to take Lady Persephone back!"
Demeter came in person?
Even if her daughter is a bit late in returning to the living world...
It shouldn't be enough for the goddess of the earth to move personally.
"She must have something to say to me directly. Guide her to the audience chamber."
Hearing this, Persephone quietly rose from her seat.
Yes, it seems you're going to quietly run away before your mother arrives.
"Uh.. um.. Then Uncle Hades, you seem busy with work, so I'll be... Hehe.."
"If you don't want to run into Demeter and get scolded, return to the living world on time next time..."
***
Not long after she left for the living world, the guest arrived.
A seemingly cold, expressionless impression and a splendid appearance, beautiful hair in light brown and yellow hues.
The goddess of the earth, Demeter, had come to the underworld.
"Hades, my daughter..."
"She just ran away because she didn't want to get scolded by you. She's probably in the living world by now."
"...I see."
As expected, Demeter's expression didn't change.
Seeing her still looking at me calmly despite hearing that her daughter wasn't here, she must have something to say.
The goddess of the earth, who had blocked the surrounding sounds with her divine power, opened her mouth slightly.
Demeter, who had been making eye contact with me until just now, slightly turned her head to the side.
"...Do you know why I'm so obsessive about Kore?"
Feeling a bit of sadness in her subdued voice, I didn't bother to answer.
As if not expecting a response, she continued speaking.
"My daughter, Kore, is too beautiful. Anyone who has seen her face even once praises Kore's appearance."
As Hephaestus had mentioned before, Persephone had an extremely beautiful appearance.
The only goddess who was definitely more beautiful than her was Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love.
Unless it's the goddess in charge of beauty, there's hardly anyone comparable to Persephone's beauty.
Demeter spoke softly in an even more subdued voice.
"In this Greece, being beautiful is..."
"Yes, a curse, not a blessing. I know that well."
In Greece, overflowing with ruffians who commit rape, adultery, and use vile tricks or deception to form relationships...
Beauty is a curse, not a blessing. Even Aphrodite had an unwanted marriage because of her beauty.
Persephone finds her mother's excessive overprotection stifling,
but without such a Demeter, it wouldn't have been strange if she had already suffered a terrible fate.
"The number of those who flirted with my daughter was countless. Even though I'm her mother, and her father is Zeus."
"Because Persephone is beautiful."
"At this rate, it wouldn't have been strange if something happened. I was always worried about that child."
Of course, Zeus, the king of gods,
and even Demeter can't always stay by Persephone's side.
"...Until the rumor spread that the lord of the underworld fell in love with my daughter at first sight and kidnapped her to the underworld."
One of the reasons why I keep Persephone in the underworld came from Demeter's mouth.
A rumor spread among the mortals in the living world that I was struck by Eros's arrow and fell in love with my niece and kidnapped her,
but I deliberately didn't correct the false rumor. The more it was known that I loved her...
"Hades. Thanks to you, those who approached Kore disappeared. No fool dared to touch someone the lord of the underworld had set his eyes on."
Gratitude was evident in her eyes as she turned to look at me again.
"I know you're different from other male gods who are obsessed with desire. Kore is still maintaining her purity..."
"......"
"I don't know if you and that child will eventually marry. But if that day comes, please take good care of Kore."
A request not as the goddess of the earth, but as a mother with a daughter.
I glanced at Demeter's eyes waiting for an answer and opened my mouth.
"....Don't worry."
"I should return to the living world now. Please keep today's conversation a secret from Kore."