King of Underworld

Chapter 104: The Story of Eros and Psyche – (3)

Apollo, the sun god, arrived after being summoned by Morpheus, with a look of injustice on his face.

Alright, that expression confirmed it—you were definitely involved in this.

“Apollo, speak honestly. Why did you give that prophecy?”

“Uncle, the thing is…”

“I know for a fact that there is no human woman in this era destined to marry a monster. As the god of prophecy, you should know this better than anyone.”

“……”

“Do you know what kind of rumors are spreading among humans in various cities right now? That gods jealous of Psyche’s beauty are forcing her to marry a monster. There’s growing sympathy for Psyche, and this only serves to diminish the dignity of the gods, does it not?”

After a moment of silence, Apollo finally spoke up.

“Well… it’s Eros’s fault this time.”

“…? Eros? What does he have to do with it?”

Didn’t he learn his lesson after working in the underworld?

“Eros is the one who lusted after that human woman, Psyche, and caused this whole mess.”

“Explain in detail.”

“As you know, Uncle, I am the god of prophecy, so I am aware of many things. I could sense a bitter fragrance from Psyche’s breath and a sweet scent from her hair. Isn’t that the bitter and sweet water from Aphrodite’s fountain? Since Aphrodite hasn’t left Olympus, it could only be that wretched Eros who coveted Psyche and used those waters. That’s why I issued the prophecy.”

The reason Apollo gave the prophecy became clear.

Having been struck by a golden arrow and forced to fall in love with the nymph Daphne, Apollo likely harbored resentment toward Eros.

So, by saying that Psyche would marry a wicked monster, Apollo was attempting to thwart Eros’s love.

But Eros, despite having the appearance of a youthful god indifferent to goddesses, was said to covet Psyche?

Could it be that his mother, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was behind this?

Yet, what reason would they have to torment a mere human… Wait.

“I heard she is incredibly beautiful…”

That’s what the goddess Lethe mentioned—rumors of Psyche’s beauty were widespread.

And who else but Aphrodite, the goddess who governs beauty, would be concerned about such a thing? Hmm.

“This isn’t something we can resolve with just you and me. I’ll need to summon Eros and Aphrodite as well.”

“Yes…”

—

The three gathered in the underworld—no, three gods to be exact.

As soon as they all arrived, it seemed as if each already knew part of the truth, and a quarrel broke out.

I tried to stop them, but…

“Eros, isn’t it because of your wretched golden arrows that we’re in this situation again?”

“What did you say?! You could’ve just told Psyche that she was destined to marry me!”

“Hmph… And why should I do something to make you happy? How does it feel to receive the same karma after shooting me with that golden arrow?”

What a sight. I decided to let them continue for now, just to see where it would go.

“Eros, what did I tell you? You should’ve quietly shot that impudent human with the lead arrow! Now I’ve had to come to the underworld again because of you…”

“Mother, you’re not exactly innocent either! Being jealous of a human who won’t even live for more than a hundred years!”

“Even though your body has grown, your immature personality remains the same. You manipulate others’ emotions however you please…”

“Apollo, do you want me to hit you with another golden arrow? Did it really bother you so much that you couldn’t give a simple prophecy?”

“Go ahead and try. I’ll show you the power of my sun arrows.”

Look at this… Not a single one of them is in the right.

Aphrodite, jealous of a human, had used Eros to deliver divine punishment. Eros, smitten by the human’s beauty, had used the bitter potion to claim her for himself.

And Apollo, still bitter over past grievances, had interfered to prevent Eros from being with Psyche.

“Enough. All of you, shut your mouths.”

“But Hades!”

“Aphrodite. Must I repeat myself?”

What a mess. Why are all of their personalities like this?

At least it’s a little quieter now. How do I sort this out?

If word of this spreads, the faith humans have in the gods will plummet. To resolve this smoothly…

“Eros. Do you truly love this human, Psyche?”

“Yes… I absolutely cannot give her up.”

“If she feels the same way about you, then you’ll need to take responsibility. But you must give each other enough time to truly get to know one another.”

“Oh…! Yes! Thank you!”

“However, it was wrong to pour the bitter potion on an innocent human. We will discuss that later…”

The god of love, who now had the appearance of a young man, as if recalling the days of his joyous time in the underworld, slowly nodded, looking somewhat grim.

“Aphrodite, I won’t stop you from testing this human or punishing her. If dust is gathering in your temple and your worship is declining, I can understand your frustration.”

“Hmph… Fine.”

“But be reasonable. You know what I mean, right? Don’t go overboard in testing your son’s future wife.”

“But… that impudent girl…”

“Aphrodite. Is your beauty, which is said to be the greatest on Olympus, so fragile that it depends on the opinions of mere mortals? I don’t believe Psyche, no matter how beautiful, could ever compare to you. As the goddess of beauty and love, show some generosity.”

“Th-That’s… true, isn’t it?! Of course, Hades… I’m much more beautiful than her!”

Well, I managed to convince her… but why is she blushing?

She’s incredibly embarrassed now, even though she’s the goddess of beauty. Of course, it’s only natural for her to be the most beautiful.

Finally, I turned to Apollo.

“Stop using prophecies for your personal grudges. You know well that humans see your prophecies as law, as absolute commands.”

“Understood, Uncle. But it was all because Eros was recklessly firing golden arrows…”

“I only shot you because you provoked me first, Apollo!”

I had heard about what happened on Olympus.

When Apollo teased Eros about his small bow and arrows, Eros retaliated by shooting him with a golden arrow, and in turn, shot Daphne, a nymph Apollo loved, with a lead arrow.

Apollo’s love ended in disaster, and Daphne transformed into a laurel tree to escape him.

“Eros, if you had an issue with Apollo, you could’ve settled it between yourselves. Why did you have to drag an innocent nymph into it…”

“Hmph… Uncle is right. To toy with someone’s heart like that… your golden arrows…”

“Apollo, you weren’t exactly blameless either.”

[You are quite petty, aren’t you? I assume Orion’s death was also your doing?]

[Uhm, Uncle, that was…]

This whole incident, born from entangled grievances and the pride of the gods, could have spiraled further out of control if left unchecked.

If gods like Poseidon, Zeus, or myself didn’t step in to resolve it, things could have escalated even more.

Not just this incident—this cycle of grudges could have led to even worse outcomes.

Maybe I should put them all to work in the underworld? A severe punishment might straighten them out.

No. I can’t keep punishing them forever. It’s time to leave this matter to Zeus.

“How long do I have to clean up after your messes? I’ll inform Zeus of this, and he will handle your punishments.”

“Yes…”

“Understood, Hades…”

“…I’m sorry, Uncle.”

I looked at the three gods, who seemed thoroughly deflated, and gestured with my chin for them to leave.

Perhaps I should continue pondering this matter in my office, rather than the audience chamber…

Though I can’t undo what has already been done, I still need to think about how to resolve this for Psyche, her parents, and everyone else involved.

Apollo, the god of reason… tsk. I’ll have to suggest a fitting punishment for him.

“Hades, a messenger from Olympus has arrived.”

“What news do they bring?”

“Lord Poseidon is looking for Apollo. What should we do?”

“…Tell him I’ll send Apollo to Olympus once things are settled here.”

So Poseidon has learned about his son Orion’s death.

Upon hearing this news, I glanced at Apollo, whose face had turned pale. Why did you have to do it…

—

The next day, Psyche’s parents, who had been pleading at Pluto’s temple, looked as if they had encountered a savior.

The high priest of Pluto approached them and announced that there was a prophecy, inviting them into the temple.

“Lord Pluto has declared that in order for Psyche to avoid her fate of marrying a monster, she must live on the mountain for 100 days without ever seeing her husband’s face.”

“I-If she does this… Will my daughter really be able to marry a normal husband and live a happy life?”

“Of course. If she follows this path, she will live more happily than anyone else.”

Psyche’s parents were greatly relieved, offering prayers to every god within the temple…

Grateful for the opportunity to save their daughter from her fate of marrying a monster, they hurried back to their kingdom.

“A husband will come while I’m on the mountain… for 100 days?”

“Yes, Psyche. Lord Pluto himself has given us this prophecy. This is what you must do to avoid… sob.”

“Please don’t cry, Mother. I’ll be fine no matter where I go.”

Psyche left the palace and climbed to the top of a nearby mountain.

However, when she looked around, she couldn’t see anything. Was her husband nearby?

Whoosh—

“…?! Kyaaah!”

A gust of wind blew, causing Psyche to lose her balance.

But instead of falling down the mountain, she was swept away by the wind and carried somewhere.

It wasn’t just an ordinary gust of wind; it felt as though a mysterious force had enveloped her and was pushing her far away…

“I don’t know why Lord Hades asked for Eurus instead of another wind god, but…”

“Heh heh heh… All I have to do is deliver the new bride to her groom, right? I’m the expert at this sort of thing, Eros.”

“Lord Eurus? What do you mean by expert…”

“Heh heh heh… Don’t worry, just wait at the mansion.”

…Let’s skip over the gods’ affairs for now.

Psyche closed her eyes tightly as the landscape around her changed rapidly.

A moment later, her feet touched the ground. Had she finally landed?

Psyche, feeling relieved, didn’t have time to think about the mysterious wind that had just carried her away.

“Wow…”

Standing before her was an incredibly luxurious mansion, where she would spend the next 100 days with her husband.