King of Underworld

Chapter 106 Eros’ Wedding – Aftermath (1)

A letter from Demeter arrived in the Underworld.

The contents were…

The matter regarding Eros and Psyche had been resolved successfully, and the proposal to marry them had been approved.

Under Zeus’ leadership, Psyche was to be made the goddess of the mind and soul, allowing her to live happily with Eros.

It also mentioned that their wedding would be held on Olympus and that I was invited…

Hades, while you’re coming up to Olympus, bring my daughter, Persephone, with you. Also, how has your relationship with her…

Hmm. I see what she’s getting at.

Bring Persephone along when I head up to Olympus?

“Persephone.”

“Hades? Did you call for me?”

“Your mother wishes to see you, so why don’t you attend Eros’ wedding with me?”

“Is it finally my turn? Attending the wedding while pretending to be your guest…”

Persephone’s eyes sparkled as she spoke, and I turned my head away, rereading the letter.

Making Psyche a goddess and marrying her off to Eros… likely to control and bind Eros, I imagine.

Although I’ve given him a stern warning, who knows when he might start shooting his golden and leaden arrows again.

Perhaps the gods think that, with a family and more maturity, he’ll be less inclined to cause trouble.

Given how many victims of adultery have been caused by his arrows, Hera, as the goddess who protects families, must have supported it.

The other gods likely didn’t oppose it either, wanting to place some restrictions on Eros through marriage…

Well, as long as the couple is happy, there’s no issue.

* * *

Olympus was lively, reflecting the upcoming wedding when I visited with Persephone.

Over there, I could see Eros, arms linked with the beautifully adorned Psyche, laughing together.

Indeed, her beauty was comparable to that of the goddesses. No wonder Eros fell in love at first sight.

If Aphrodite had an air of allure, Psyche possessed a pure charm that unknowingly captivated others.

“Oh! Lord Hades!”

“Ah… That’s him…”

Eros spotted me and approached with Psyche. As the bride and groom came over, a few eyes turned toward us.

But… Psyche gave off a feeling similar to when I observed the worshippers of Thebes.

“Eros. Congratulations on your marriage. And to you as well, Psyche.”

“Thank you, Lord Hades. It’s all thanks to you. The realization you gave me has…”

“Don’t thank me, just take good care of the bride next to you. Don’t let your eyes wander like some others.”

“Of course not. My heart belongs solely to Psyche.”

Seeing them so tightly attached to each other, it seemed like they’d do well enough.

As I finished speaking with Eros, Psyche turned to face me and bowed politely.

Wait a moment, she’s a goddess now, so there’s no need for her to bow. Was she truly one of my followers?

“I sincerely thank you, Lord of the Underworld, for granting a humble mortal’s prayer and allowing me to meet my husband, Eros…”

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s your patience in enduring 100 days of curiosity that earned you your love with Eros.”

Perhaps it was because of the oracle I had given to her parents.

Still, receiving worship from a goddess, rather than a mortal, was somewhat unsettling.

“Curiosity is something even Pandora could not resist. Suppressing such emotions is never an easy feat. Overcoming something that even the first woman could not… a reward is only natural. Of course, the fact that you two love each other was a prerequisite…”

“Nevertheless, I thank you again. My parents are building a new temple in honor of Lord Pluto, and the entire kingdom is offering prayers to the Underworld…”

“No, none of that is necessary. Just live happily with each other.”

“Understood, O merciful god.”

I interrupted Psyche’s gentle smile with a brief blessing.

As a wedding gift, I gave her a necklace made from minerals deep within the earth. It carried my blessing, so it would serve her well.

Psyche looked at the necklace, beaming with joy.

“In truth, when I first realized that my suitor was Eros, I was quite flustered.”

“…?”

“Considering that he’s the god known for making men fall for other men… at first, I was very…”

Had Psyche heard the rumor that started in Thebes? The one that said, “Homosexuality is Eros’ trick”?

Though, that rumor might not be entirely untrue.

“Ah, no, Psyche… that’s a misunderstanding, I no longer…”

“Hmm. Are you sure?”

Psyche teased her husband, who stumbled over his words, flustered.

As I watched their honey-sweet exchange with amusement, I heard a voice call from behind me.

“Uncle Hades. You really came.”

“Hephaestus. I see Aglaea is with you.”

There stood Hephaestus, who had divorced Aphrodite and married Aglaea, the goddess of radiance.

Aglaea was adorned in jewelry crafted by her husband, the god of the forge.

They bowed their heads respectfully to me.

“Hephaestus. How is married life treating you?”

“Hmm. Very well, Uncle. Aglaea is with child, you see.”

“Oh… congratulations.”

Aglaea, with a slightly flushed face, lovingly stroked her small, slightly protruding belly. It seemed they, too, had a healthy relationship.

I found myself thinking that arranging Hephaestus’ divorce from Aphrodite had truly been for the best.

As I briefly conversed with them, Hymenaios, the god of marriage, raised his voice slightly to announce.

“The wedding ceremony will begin shortly!”

Eros and Psyche’s wedding was about to commence.

The ceremony was quite elaborate.

Hera, the goddess of family, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Hymenaios, the god of marriage, all bestowed their blessings…

“Hmph. I haven’t fully accepted you yet. You must be extremely careful in how you conduct yourself.”

“Yes, Lady Aphrodite.”

“Mother, why must you say such things on such a joyous occasion…”

“Tch. In any case, I will be watching your behavior closely.”

“Y-yes…”

As expected, Aphrodite’s expression was displeased, but she reluctantly gave her approval.

Psyche might face a bit of hardship from her new mother-in-law.

Still, with most of the gods blessing the marriage… Wait a moment.

This wedding was unusual because the musician wasn’t Apollo…

One of the Muses, Terpsichore, was playing the music.

Where was Apollo? Hadn’t he recently requested punishment from Zeus?

And Poseidon was nowhere to be seen either. Hmm.

I immediately sought out Zeus, who was laughing and chatting with his attendants.

“Ah, brother Hades, you’ve arrived.”

“Zeus. I don’t see Apollo. What’s going on? Have you sent him to serve another sentence among the mortals?”

“My worthless son? I had planned to punish him for killing Orion, but… there’s no need anymore.”

The King of the Gods spoke with a slight frown.

Of course, my brother had been keeping an eye on the Otus Mountain expedition.

“Apollo was struck by Poseidon and dragged into the sea.”

“…So that’s how it happened.”

I should’ve known Poseidon wouldn’t let it slide.

* * *

Unlike the time when Poseidon’s son had almost violated Ares’ daughter, this time Poseidon had every reason to be angry.

After all, Apollo had killed the great hero who had slain Typhon’s child, so even Zeus allowed Poseidon’s wrath.

Thus, immediately after I had sent Apollo back to Olympus…

“Apollo! Have you lost your mind, being worshipped as the god of the sun by mortals?!”

“Uncle, I…”

“I don’t want to hear it! Zeus, you won’t mind if I take him away, right?”

“…Hmm. Just don’t be too harsh, Poseidon.”

And so, Poseidon had beaten him and dragged him, by the collar, into the sea…

Zeus explained that Apollo was probably still being punished deep beneath the ocean, forced to emit light in the darkest depths.

So Apollo was still in the sea and hadn’t returned yet.

“…Even for the god of reason, his wits seem to vanish when it comes to his sister. Hmph… Dealing with one’s children is never easy.”

“It’s his own fault.”

“To think he killed a hero like Orion in a moment of emotional weakness…”

Well, Zeus likely knew that Poseidon had resisted Gaia’s temptation last time.

He had to issue a punishment that would appease Poseidon.

“There’s more to it than that, right? There’s no way killing his son would have calmed Poseidon’s anger entirely.”

“Exactly. That’s why I made a suggestion to soothe both Artemis and Poseidon.”

Zeus looked up toward the sky—specifically, at the sun. I followed his gaze, and there, I witnessed a strange sight.

Helios’ sun chariot was racing across the sky… but suddenly, beneath it, Selene’s moon chariot appeared and began to block the sunlight.

Swoooosh—

The sun turned dark, eclipsed by the moon.

I quickly stood up and gazed down at the mortal world below. I was worried about the potential chaos.

Sure enough, the surface was in turmoil, and there were even some mortals who offered prayers to me.

“The sun… the sun has gone dark!”

“Has something happened to Lord Apollo? Zeus, please!”

“What… what kind of omen is this? The sun has disappeared!”

“The sun hasn’t disappeared, it’s been swallowed by the darkness!”

“It’s not nighttime right now, so what god could be angered? We must offer a sacrifice immediately…”

The mortals looked up at the sky in despair. Many ran to the temples, claiming Zeus had sent down a punishment…

Some knelt in repentance, while others cowered in their homes, trembling with fear.

“That is the punishment I’ve given Apollo for killing a hero out of personal emotions. It also serves to comfort Artemis… From now on, the moon will periodically obscure the sun.”

“So you’ve made Selene’s chariot run directly beneath Helios’?”

“I’ve already received the consent of both Helios and Selene. Seeing the darkened sun will serve as a lesson to the other gods as well.”

Some might argue that this was a harsh punishment for simply killing a mortal, but…

Unlike his legitimate son Ares, Apollo was a child born out of wedlock, so Zeus cherished him less.

This punishment was also a warning not to let personal emotions lead to the careless killing of mortal heroes.

With this level of punishment, Poseidon would likely be appeased as well.

“Wait a moment. The sun being obscured by the moon…”

“…?”

Isn’t this… what mortals in my past life called a solar eclipse?