King of Underworld

Chapter 103 The Story of Eros and Psyche – (2)

Grumbling as he flew to the mortal realm on his mother’s orders, Eros reluctantly made his way.

Flapping his small, white wings, he headed for the royal palace where Psyche resided.

A window high up in the palace opened naturally, creating a path for the god of love to pass through.

The unseen intruder quietly slipped into Psyche’s room, unnoticed by the humans.

“Wow…”

Even Eros, who saw Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, every day, couldn’t help but be awestruck by her beauty.

What were goddesses compared to this? The woman before him seemed like a true goddess.

Seeing Psyche peacefully asleep in her bed, Eros fell in love at first sight.

In an instant, the young boy’s body matured into that of a handsome young man.

Gods were eternal and unchanging, typically maintaining their original appearance and personality for all time.

However, sometimes their divinity shifted, or an event caused them to transform.

In Eros’s case, it was the realization of love that caused the young god to grow into a man.

‘I’m supposed to deliver divine punishment as Mother commanded… but she’s too beautiful. Do I really have to?’

Eros hesitated. Could he really abandon this human woman, whom he had fallen for at first glance?

Should he obey his mother’s command no matter what? Unlike the other gods, he had not yet married…

His deliberation didn’t last long. Overwhelmed by the power of love for the first time, the god of love pulled out a bottle from his pouch.

It contained two magical liquids: one was a bitter potion that stole away love, and the other a sweet elixir that enhanced beauty.

‘She can’t marry anyone else if she’s going to be my bride.’

Eros sprinkled the bitter potion, which was drawn from a fountain in Aphrodite’s courtyard, onto Psyche’s lips.

With this bitter magic in place, no one would propose to Psyche.

‘…Maybe the bitter potion was a bit much. I feel bad, so…’

Eros reached into his pouch once more and pulled out the bottle containing the sweet elixir.

This potion enhanced the beauty of whoever it touched, ensuring that Psyche would be even more admired by those around her.

‘What am I going to tell Mother?’

After lightly kissing the sleeping Psyche’s forehead, the god of love made his quiet exit.

—

When Eros returned to Aphrodite’s palace, he avoided his mother’s sharp gaze.

Of course, she would be upset. She had sent him to punish Psyche, but instead, he had returned fully grown.

“Eros?! You have a lot of explaining to do…!”

“Well… I was going to pierce Psyche with a lead arrow, but…”

“But?”

“I accidentally pricked myself with the golden arrow. That’s why I’ve grown like this.”

Nonsense. Aphrodite was exasperated.

An accident? How could a god, who had complete control over their own body, accidentally prick themselves with their own arrow?

Even if it were an accident, the golden and lead arrows were Eros’s own powers, ones even Aphrodite couldn’t wield.

Was there any other god that could be harmed by their own powers? And even if they were, couldn’t they easily shake it off?

Of course, Eros’s arrows had the power to affect even himself, but in her agitation, Aphrodite couldn’t accept this explanation.

Clearly, her son had fallen for the human, his senses clouded by love.

The mere fact that he had grown into a young man from a child was proof enough of the emotional change within him.

“I’d sooner believe that the god Thanatos was subdued by a mere mortal!”

“…It’s true.”

“Hmph… Adonis! Are you there?”

“Yes, Lady Aphrodite. What is it you require?”

As Aphrodite sighed and called for one of her attendants, a young man’s voice echoed in reply.

He was an exceptionally handsome man in his twenties, and at the sight of him, Eros grumbled.

“…Mother, you’re always weak to handsome mortals, aren’t you? You can’t say much…”

“How is that the same! He’s just a servant. You, on the other hand, have fallen for a mere mortal! Adonis, go fetch some nectar.”

“Understood, Lady Aphrodite.”

With that, Adonis left the room to carry out her order.

Aphrodite’s words were, surprisingly, true.

She had kept Adonis by her side simply because she admired his beauty—nothing more, nothing less. She held no deeper feelings for the mortal.

Adonis was undeniably handsome, more so than any mortal she had ever encountered…

“He’s quite striking for a human, but he’s not the kind of man I’d want for a night.”

“Then… is it Lord Ares?”

“…Ares, yes. But also someone with status, a good nature, respected by all, with charisma… someone like that would be even better.”

There were hardly any gods who fit Aphrodite’s ideal… Wait a moment…

Eros’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as one particular god, who perfectly matched all those criteria, came to mind.

One of the three great gods, highly ranked, recognized by both mortals and gods, known for his compassion…

Even Zeus, king of the gods, trusted him. The majestic god who ruled the underworld…

“Someone like Lord Hades, right?”

“Exactly, someone like… Wait! That’s not the point here! We’re talking about you and that Psyche woman!”

Aphrodite, who had nearly been led off-topic, snapped back, glaring at Eros.

Her face hardened once again, as her voice took on a stern tone.

“I can understand that you’ve fallen for that girl who’s damaged my honor… but I will never allow it!”

“But… Please, just give her a little more time. I’m sure Psyche will win you over, Mother.”

“Hmph. Win me over? Fine. Show me. If her behavior is satisfactory, I’ll consider it.”

In the past, Aphrodite might have issued divine punishment immediately,

but recently, having just divorced Hephaestus, she had softened somewhat, folding her arms as she spoke.

Perhaps, in a way, Aphrodite saw a reflection of her own past in Eros—forced into a marriage and seeking Ares, much like Eros had fallen for Psyche.

And so, unbeknownst to her, Psyche had now become subject to the trials of the gods.

—

The praise for Psyche, the kingdom’s youngest princess, grew greater by the day.

Of course, it was thanks to the power of the sweet elixir that Eros had sprinkled on her.

“Princess Psyche must be the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Of course. Her beauty surpasses that of Persephone, whom Pluto took to the underworld, and even the goddess Aphrodite herself…”

“That may be true, but for some reason, I don’t feel like proposing to her.”

“You feel that way too? Her beauty is indeed unparalleled, but…”

Due to the power of the bitter potion, no one felt the urge to propose to Psyche.

Though the rumors of her beauty continued to grow, the king and queen, perplexed by the lack of suitors, eventually sought counsel at the temple of Delphi.

The oracle of Apollo from Delphi delivered the following prophecy:

That child is fated to never marry a human. Leave her on the mountain.

“W-What does that mean? Who will she marry then?”

“My daughter Psyche… This cannot be…”

A terrible monster, more wicked than any serpent or beast, will come to take Psyche.

Psyche’s parents wept bitterly.

To think that their daughter was destined to marry a terrible monster—it was a cruel fate, but one foretold by prophecy.

They knew they could not defy the oracle. After all, hadn’t they heard the stories of King Oedipus and Perseus?

Wait a moment… That famous hero, King Perseus—wasn’t he able to avoid his fate?

“Honey… Do you remember the story of King Perseus?”

“The hero who received a prophecy that he would kill his grandfather? Oh… Do you think…?”

The tale of King Perseus, who had received a prophecy from Pluto, the god of the underworld, allowing him to peacefully release his grandfather from his fate, was well-known.

That great hero had escaped his fate as a criminal destined to murder his kin.

“Yes. Pluto, the god of mercy, who pitied mortals trapped in unfortunate fates, provided a way to alter the prophecy, didn’t he?”

“Then perhaps our Psyche too…”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that the prophecy had been completely overturned, but rather circumvented.

However, seeing hope that they could save their daughter from the monster, Psyche’s parents rushed to Pluto’s temple.

And that was precisely why they had come, pleading loudly at the temple in Thebes, creating quite the commotion for me, Hades.

For about a week now, they had been prostrating themselves in the temple, begging so fervently that I had no choice but to hear them.

“O Pluto, god of mercy! Please, have pity on our daughter!”

“Our youngest daughter, the light of our lives, is to be married to a monster… Please, have mercy on us…”

The story of the king and queen weeping at the temple of a god quickly spread, and…

Just yesterday, the gods of the underworld had approached me, suggesting I help those humans.

“Hades… What do you think about helping those mortals who’ve been praying at the temple every day?”

“Lady Lethe?”

“They even prayed before my statue yesterday… I’ve heard that their daughter is incredibly beautiful.”

“It seems those mortals are very attached to their daughter.”

“Hypnos, why do you ask?”

“Morpheus visited their dreams last night. He said their minds were filled with nothing but worry for their daughter…”

While many mortals believed prophecies were absolute and inescapable, the truth was a little different.

In cases like Oedipus and Perseus, the prophecy was indeed inescapable.

Even Zeus, the king of the gods, could not alter such fates—at most, they could be slightly twisted to allow for some relief.

But in Psyche’s case… What? A prophecy about a woman destined to marry a monster?

As the ruler of the underworld, I knew for a fact that no woman in this era was fated to marry a monster.

The conclusion was obvious.

The prophecy given to Psyche was not an inescapable fate, but rather the will of Apollo, the god of Delphi.

“Morpheus, go to Olympus and tell Apollo that I want to see him. I need to ask him what’s going on.”

“Are you finally going to help them? After all, those mortals were quite pitiful.”

Who was it, causing such mischief on the surface again?