Chapter 79
As I returned to the fortress with Pegasus after leaving Elysium, Goddess Styx welcomed me.
She had taken care of urgent matters while I was away and was now taking a short break.
"You're back, Hades... I see you've brought Pegasus."
Neigh!
Some might think it's overstepping, but I was the one who granted authority to Goddess Styx as a token of gratitude for helping us in the war against the Titan gods.
That's why she sometimes became the final decision-maker when I wasn't in the underworld.
Still, if there were issues difficult to judge on her own, she would put them on hold and wait for me.
"Now we just need to hand this over to the hero. I was thinking of sending Hermes or Athena..."
"Shall we send a letter to Olympus?"
"Yes, please do."
As I finished speaking and was about to return to where I was originally, Goddess Styx's appearance caught my eye.
Long black hair and blue eyes filled with fatigue. Parchment in her hand.
Come to think of it, I really owe her a lot.
Long ago, during the war with the Titan gods... She helped with the underworld's affairs and supported me when I was inexperienced.
The touch of the Styx sword at my waist somehow feels warm.
Goddess Styx, Goddess Lethe, Menthe, Persephone...
They're grateful people who like me despite my inadequacies, but have I ever properly repaid them?
The goddess's beautiful eyes were filled with trust, faith, and affection towards me.
As I quietly looked at her, lost in complicated thoughts, the goddess smiled and said:
"Pfft. Hades. Why are you staring so intently? Have you been captivated by my beauty?"
"...Yes. You look especially beautiful today."
"What...?! Wha-what?! What... what are you..."
The parchment fell from Goddess Styx's hand as her face turned red up to her ears.
She raised one hand to cover her mouth, not knowing what to do.
And I too opened my mouth with a slightly nervous voice.
This is just a walk... Yes, repayment. That's what it is... It doesn't mean anything... Probably.
"Since Pegasus is going to the living world, would you like to fly around the sky with me?"
"Gasp!... I-I-I'll get ready right away! Wait here!"
Tap tap tap... Crash!
As she hurriedly passed by me, leaving those words, her foot caught on the audience chamber door.
Of course, part of the door that caught the robust divine body simply broke.
Looking at the debris of the slightly broken door scattered on the audience chamber floor, I thought...
'Should I change my clothes too?'
***
I thought she would return soon, but...
Surprisingly, even after a long time had passed, Goddess Styx didn't return.
...?
Just as I was about to go out and check if something had happened,
the door burst open and Goddess Styx rushed in with an urgent look.
She bent over, placing her hands on her knees and panting as if she had just been chased by someone.
Who could dare make Goddess Styx so frantic in the underworld?
Could a full-scale war with the Gigas have broken out?
"Huff... Huff... Let's go quickly, Hades...!"
"What's the matter? Has a war broken out in Olympus? Or has Poseidon rebelled again..."
"It's... not... that... Goddess Lethe kept following me with suspicious eyes, so I had to go around the underworld... Huff."
"...Let's have some water first."
Listening slowly to Goddess Styx's words...
When Goddess Lethe discovered Goddess Styx changing clothes in her room...
"Styx... Where are you going dressed like that..?"
"Le-Lethe?! It's nothing!"
"Something's suspicious..."
From then on, she followed her around for a while, piling up work until she could finally escape.
Goddess Styx finished her explanation with a small sigh.
"Ugh... Lethe was so persistent..."
"With you dressed like that..."
Unlike the casual clothes she was wearing until just now, she was wearing a chiton that exposed quite a bit of her chest and legs.
Her face, rubbed with olive oil and honey, was glowing, and golden ornaments hung from her slightly flushed ears.
"...Hades."
"...Yes?"
"If you stare too much like that..."
Even the slight flush on her cheeks added to her beauty.
"Would you come with me, Goddess?"
"...! Of course."
So I went out to the living world for a while with Goddess Styx.
Of course, we brought Pegasus too.
Neigh!
Pegasus, who had been running around for a while as if happy to be in the living world after a long time.
I stopped the celestial horse, mounted its back, and extended my hand to Goddess Styx.
"Come, ride here."
"...Yes!"
I held Pegasus's reins and mounted, and right behind me, Goddess Styx wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned her head.
The soft touch on my back, almost but not quite touching, intensified the awkwardness.
Stroking Pegasus's glossy white mane, I commanded.
The intelligent celestial horse born as a divine beast would understand my will.
"Let's go up. Up to the sky, but not so high as to reach Olympus."
Neigh!
***
Pegasus kicked off the ground and took flight.
The horse's pure white wings flapped widely, creating wind.
Whoosh-
We went up, higher and higher.
I could see nymphs watching us from the edge of a distant mountain.
After waving my hand to hide us from mortal eyes, I spoke to Goddess Styx riding behind me.
"Riding clouds or chariots through the sky isn't bad, but sometimes feeling the wind while riding a horse is nice too. I wanted to show you this scenery."
"Come to think of it, Hades, didn't you say this was why you fought the Titan gods?"
"Yes. To be precise, it was because of the view from the top of Olympus. But this scenery is similar..."
Neigh!
We went higher and higher, to the point where clouds were floating beside us. If we went just a bit higher, we'd be at the same height as the Olympus divine palace.
But I had no intention of going up to Olympus, so I pulled the reins, and Pegasus flew slowly according to my will.
Looking down, we could see vast plains and numerous dots that were human cities.
"Being in the underworld almost all the time... I don't think I've seen this kind of scenery much."
"Now that the underworld's affairs have stabilized a lot, you'll probably have more free time."
"...Thank you. Maybe it's because I'm with Hades, but even this sky excursion is enjoyable."
As I turned slightly to look back, Goddess Styx's face, close to mine, came into view.
Her eyes met mine, and she slowly closed them.
Anyone could tell what she was hoping for.
The goddess's red, beautiful lips. What would happen if I took this one step forward?
I stopped Pegasus, who was gliding through the sky, turned my head, and slowly approached.
The sound of my increasingly loud heartbeat was louder than Zeus's thunder.
I couldn't hear any noisy wind or bird sounds around us.
My eyes and ears were focused only on the goddess close to me.
"Huff..."
Breathing somewhat hurriedly but roughly, I thought.
I too am a man, and I don't dislike the goddesses who like me.
But... Can I make them happy? And not just one goddess, but several?
I knew.
That this was just my prejudice, fear, and hesitation...
As I was hesitating, caught in this conflict, a clearly artificial gust of wind blew.
Whoosh-
"Oh my!"
"Hmm?!"
Pegasus staggered, caught in that gust.
Naturally, Goddess Styx, who had her eyes closed, and I, who was hesitating, also swayed.
I gripped the reins tightly with one hand to control the staggering Pegasus,
and my other hand went around the waist of the goddess who looked unsteady.
And... as we were close together in the strong wind...
Smooch.
The soft touch of lips meeting. The goddess's scent mixed with the sweet smell of honey.
A small accident in the sky pushed my back.
The goddess, who opened her eyes at the sudden shake, soon couldn't hide her widening pupils.
I too had to hurriedly turn my head with a reddening face.
Neigh-
It was easy to tell who had summoned the sudden gust of wind.
Because I saw a male god flying away in the distance, giving me a thumbs up and nodding.
Euros (Euros), the god of the warm and rainy east wind.
It was the doing of the son of Eos, goddess of dawn, who is in charge of the east wind.
He probably created an appropriate wind when he saw us while passing by to blow the east wind to the world.
Since when did you become the god of matchmaking...
***
As we were about to head back, we met the messenger god flying somewhere.
Hermes, seeing us riding Pegasus, spoke with a face full of curiosity.
"Oh? Isn't it Uncle Hades? And Goddess Styx behind you?"
"...Hermes."
"What brings you to the sky... Ah! Could it be you were having a pleasant time? Oh my, I've interrupted. Haha!"
"......"
Neither I nor Goddess Styx could say anything.
Well, the moist and soft sensation was still lingering on our lips...
"...Is it true?"
"Stop talking nonsense and take these reins. Deliver Pegasus to that hero."
"Huh? Oh... Thank you for lending Pegasus."
"When you land Pegasus on the ground, let it loose and take it to an appropriate place on your own."
We need to test if the hero who will kill the Chimera can handle Pegasus.
If he can hold the reins and stay on Pegasus, he's worthy of borrowing it.
"Yes, that was my plan too. But... Did something really happen between you two..."
"...Shut up."
He's unnecessarily perceptive.