King of Underworld

Chapter 102: The Story of Eros and Psyche – (1)

The expedition to Mount Athos was a half-success, despite Gaia’s trap. That was my conclusion.

It was unfortunate that Chrysaor of the Golden Sword managed to escape, but given that we still achieved something even after falling into Gaia’s trap, it wasn’t all bad.

However, something seemed off about Orion’s death… The fact that Apollo’s sacred beast, the crow, was acting like that?

That sacred beast was far from unintelligent. It should have been able to predict the path of the Golden Sword that was pursuing it.

“Hades, about that hero who died after taking down Orthus just now.”

“You’re talking about Orion, the son of Poseidon?”

Persephone, who had been watching the mortal world with me, opened her mouth with a curious look.

She had begged me to let her watch the expedition, and I had allowed it. She was truly focused on observing them.

To the gods, the desperate struggles of mortals are but a fleeting amusement… Hmm. It must be a difference in perspective, I suppose.

“When I went up to the Olympian palace last time, I learned something while looking down at the lower world.”

“What did you learn?”

“I saw Artemis hunting with him on the surface. She seemed to care for that human a great deal…”

Persephone had visited the palace of Olympus for the first time, having never attended the banquets held there before we met.

Now that she was known as my wife, Demeter must have allowed her to attend the banquets with peace of mind.

So, Orion was someone Artemis cherished… It gave me a clue as to why Apollo’s sacred beast was behaving strangely.

But just that alone wasn’t enough to confront the Sun God. Punishing my nephew based solely on suspicion without evidence would be too excessive.

“So… I need to remember this and scold him properly later.”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.”

Apollo had helped me swiftly when I fought against the descending Cronus, but what he had done this time was rather disappointing.

He probably thought it was just a mere human… Given Apollo’s character, it made sense.

At the core of it, gods naturally looked down on humans, and as one of the Twelve Olympians, Apollo certainly had such a mindset.

He must have thought that, in the worst case, he could blame the sacred beast’s mistake if needed.

How could I teach my nephew, who claims to be a god of reason, yet loses all reason when it comes to matters of love and his sister?

But how would Poseidon, who cherished his son, react?

After all, if Apollo hadn’t intervened, the expedition would have been annihilated. Even with that nagging feeling, it wasn’t something I could just ignore… Or could I?

I stroked Persephone’s hair as she sat next to me and gazed down at the mortal world.

The army of the Kingdom of Macedonia arrived late, joining forces with the heroes to defeat the monsters and clean up the battlefield.

“Hehe…”

Orion would soon arrive in the underworld,

and all those brave warriors who died there would now be guided by Thanatos.

“Hades, my lord, the Goddess of the Moon has arrived in the underworld!”

“Artemis has come to the underworld? Let her in.”

It seemed that Artemis had deep feelings for that human.

—

“Hades, uncle… Please… Please bring Orion back to life…!”

I looked with distaste at my niece, who knelt before me, suddenly pleading.

My niece, with whom I had neither a good nor a bad relationship, was now shedding clear tears onto the floor as she begged me.

So, this is how much she cared for that human, Orion?

To think that a proud goddess would come to the underworld and kneel, begging for the life of a mortal. Were they truly in love?

Even a goddess who had sworn to remain pure couldn’t escape the feeling of love.

“You know well enough that what you’re asking is impossible, don’t you?”

“But… We loved each other. There’s no doubt that Apollo killed him on purpose after realizing it…”

“Sigh…”

So, Artemis had the same suspicions as I did. Still, I couldn’t bring him back.

“Is this about the story of how I brought Tantalus’s son back to life?”

“Yes… Uncle, you bring back humans who have died unjustly… Please…”

“But that was an atrocious crime, and he was the true victim. That’s why I returned his soul to the mortal world.”

The story of Tantalus was a case that had angered most of the gods.

The perpetrator was now suffering eternally in Tartarus, and his kingdom had been reduced to ruins.

It was such a serious matter that I had no choice but to bring him back…

“In Orion’s case, that exception does not apply. He embarked on that expedition of his own accord, and he was killed by Chrysaor’s Golden Sword, dying a great hero.”

“It wasn’t the Golden Sword… It was Apollo who…”

“…Even if Apollo killed that man, I still cannot bring him back.”

The Moon Goddess, with her beautiful face, continued to shed tears.

Even if Apollo had indirectly caused his death, a dead man was still dead. Artemis’s plea wasn’t something I could grant.

However, Orion was a great hero who had slain Orthus, the child of Typhon. Perhaps a reward of sorts…

“Go now. I sympathize with your loss. The only thing I can do for you is…”

“…?”

“Tell Zeus that I have requested for Orion to be made into a constellation. Honoring a great hero by inscribing him in the sky for eternity… Isn’t that the least we could do?”

“Yes… Thank… you…”

“If you wish, I could allow you to meet Orion one last time…”

After our conversation, the Moon Goddess bowed her head and left the audience chamber.

She seemed somewhat comforted, her sorrow slightly relieved at the thought of her lover being enshrined in the sky.

Considering he was a hero who had slain the child of Typhon, he was certainly worthy of becoming a constellation. Zeus likely wouldn’t have any objections to placing him in the heavens.

Would this offer Poseidon some consolation as well? Hopefully, he wouldn’t let his anger drive him to drown Apollo in the depths of the sea.

Should I warn Zeus to punish Apollo? I need to think about it a bit more.

—

While Hades and Artemis were conversing in the underworld, in a corner of the Olympian palace…

A mother scolding her son and a son fiercely resisting were in the middle of a heated conversation.

It was none other than the winged young god, Eros, and his mother, Aphrodite, arguing.

“I refuse! No matter what you say, I won’t do it, Mother!”

“Eros, even Hades won’t say anything if you shoot the Golden Arrow in a situation like this! Why won’t you listen?”

To understand why this was happening, we must go back a little in time…

In the mortal realm, there lived a beautiful princess named Psyche, the youngest daughter of a certain kingdom.

She was so beautiful that humans worshipped her as a goddess descended upon the earth.

Rumors even spread that she was more beautiful than Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty…

Believers of these rumors began to neglect their offerings to the goddess.

“I’ve heard that Princess Psyche is actually the daughter of Aphrodite!”

“Indeed, how else could one explain such beauty?”

“I’ve never seen the goddess myself, but surely Psyche must be even more beautiful than Aphrodite?”

The rumor that Psyche was Aphrodite’s daughter spread beyond control.

Eventually, people stopped visiting the temples of the goddess of beauty, and her temples gathered dust. Naturally, this enraged Aphrodite.

“Who is this insolent girl who dares to steal my glory?”

Psyche did not bother to correct these rumors or show any humility, instead basking in the attention. This only fueled Aphrodite’s anger.

Thus, the goddess decided to punish her through her son, Eros…

“Shoot that insolent girl with a Golden Arrow and make her fall in love with the most loathsome man imaginable.”

“…I won’t!”

“What?! You refuse to shoot a mere human with an arrow?”

“Last time I carelessly shot a Golden Arrow, Hades caught me and made me shoot arrows endlessly! No way!”

Indeed, Eros had once mistakenly hit Persephone during archery practice and was dragged to the underworld as punishment.

Now, he shook his head at his mother’s request, fearing he might be dragged to the underworld again.

Returning to the present, Aphrodite continued to try and persuade her sulking son.

“Listen, Eros. Hades only scolded you for where you were practicing archery, not for who you shot. He won’t say anything if you shoot a human on purpose to deliver divine punishment.”

“But…”

“Think about it carefully. Hades was upset because you were careless with your arrows, not because you decided to punish a mortal. He won’t mind you shooting Psyche with intent.”

“Ugh… But what if I end up in the underworld again, shooting arrows at those strange mortals? I don’t want that!”

“Are you saying you can’t shoot one little arrow, even when my temple has fallen into such disrepair? My glory is being tarnished in that kingdom!”

Aphrodite approached Eros, gently comforting her son, who was holding his head in frustration.

If Hades had seen this scene, he would probably say something like, “Is it really necessary to go this far for a short-lived mortal?”

But in this moment, the furious goddess was fully intent on delivering the punishment she believed Psyche deserved.

“So, Eros. Even if Hades questions you, just tell him I ordered it. Now, go and shoot the Golden Arrow at her.”

“…R-Really? So, you’ll take all the responsibility, Mother?”

“Yes, you can say I commanded it. Now go!”

In the end, Eros, convinced by her persuasion, grabbed his magical arrows and headed toward the mortal realm.

Perhaps he was also curious to see for himself the face of Psyche, who was said to rival the goddess of beauty herself.