King of Underworld

Chapter 107: Eros’ Wedding – Aftermath (2)

Shortly after, Selene steered her moon chariot and changed direction.

The brief solar eclipse ended, and the sun revealed its true form once again.

“But doesn’t this tire out Goddess Selene?”

“I compensated her appropriately—with jewelry made by Hephaestus.”

On Olympus, ‘appropriate compensation’ for goddesses usually meant gifts crafted by Hephaestus.

The god of the forge could easily create jewelry that rivaled the magical items made by Hecate.

“I heard Aglaea is pregnant with Hephaestus’ child.”

“I’m starting to think you were right, brother. Not only did it improve their relationship, but perhaps Aphrodite’s easier acceptance of Psyche is due to her divorce.”

So, you were thinking the same as I was.

Aphrodite had indeed mellowed out considerably, likely because she finally achieved her long-desired divorce from Hephaestus.

She, too, had yearned to free herself from Hephaestus and pursue the love she wanted.

I glanced over at where Eros and Psyche, the stars of the wedding, were seated.

Aphrodite was sitting with her legs crossed, bossing Psyche around.

“Psyche, come here and pour me some nectar.”

“Yes, mother…”

“Mother?! I didn’t raise Eros to marry a girl who can’t even pour nectar properly!”

“Mother, please… I just got married today…”

“Hmph!”

She’s mellowed out… right? Probably. After all, she’s neither cursing nor banishing her, which suggests she’s acknowledging Psyche to some extent.

However, I noticed that Persephone was nowhere to be found.

She had been clinging to me earlier, but where did she wander off to now?

“You are incredibly beautiful. Won’t you spend a passionate moment with me? You see, I may look like this, but—”

“No! Get away from me!”

A well-built male god, who appeared to be in his twenties by mortal standards, was hitting on Persephone.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed like a newly born god.

Given Persephone’s power as the daughter of Demeter, she wouldn’t be in any real danger, but I had to make sure this joyous wedding wouldn’t be disrupted…

Perhaps I should go check.

* * *

The god smiled slyly and tried to grab Persephone’s wrist, but she recoiled in disgust, wearing an expression I had never seen before—one of pure loathing.

“Why are you rejecting me? I’ll have you know, I am Priapus, the son of Dionysus…”

“Hades!”

As I approached, Persephone’s face lit up when she spotted me.

If she had simply revealed her identity, this would-be suitor would have backed off immediately. Did she want to play the damsel in distress, waiting for the prince to rescue her? Surely not…

The god’s face turned pale when he heard her call my name and saw me standing behind him. He turned to meet my gaze, his eyes wide with panic.

“Ha-Hades…! I-I’m so sorry! This is my first time attending an event on Olympus, and I didn’t recognize the goddess Persephone…”

“Enough. You said you were Dionysus’ son?”

“Y-yes, my lord!”

I recognized his name. Priapus, the god of fertility and abundance.

“Is this how you court others? By using your status and rank to make advances on them?”

“Wh-what do you mean, my lord?”

“You behave this way even toward fellow gods. I can only imagine how you treat mortals. Listen closely.”

“W-what do you mean…?”

“If even a single mortal has suffered because of your actions, you will pay for it in the Underworld. Now, be gone.”

Priapus bowed hastily, retreating with his tail between his legs. For some reason, watching him leave filled me with displeasure.

Perhaps I’d grown more attached to Persephone than I realized, but the sight left me more irritated than I expected.

“Hehe… Hades.”

“In the future, just state your name. That would’ve been enough to deal with it.”

“I didn’t think of that… Hehe.”

Persephone clung to me, linking her arm with mine, and somehow, my irritation vanished.

Hmm. It was true—Persephone really was one of the most beautiful goddesses on Olympus.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Her golden eyes and hair were exactly like her father’s.

Her delicate beauty, inherited from Demeter, was enough to drive any god to distraction.

It was no surprise that even young gods, unaware of her identity, would be blinded by her looks and make advances.

No wonder Demeter was always so worried. Ah, speaking of which, here she comes.

Demeter approached, glaring fiercely at Priapus as she came closer, her expression filled with concern.

“Persephone. How many times have I told you to stay close to Hades during gatherings like this?”

“Oh, mother! Why are you being so overprotective? I’m almost 300 years old!”

“Sigh… I worry because I care, dear. There have been more than a few goddesses who flaunted their power only to fall victim to gods.”

Demeter’s concerns were valid. Even goddesses of great stature had been caught off guard before.

She herself had nearly been targeted by Poseidon once, so it was only natural for her to worry about her daughter…

“Hades. I trust you’ll take good care of my daughter. Especially in gatherings like this…”

“Oh, mother! Stop it already!”

Loud.

* * *

After Persephone’s outburst, Demeter finally calmed down and took her seat.

Persephone and I sat across from her, sipping on nectar.

As Demeter drank her nectar, she placed her golden goblet down and alternated her gaze between me and Persephone.

“It’s been quite some time since my daughter has been living in the Underworld. Don’t you think it’s time for her to marry?”

“Mother, please…”

“Surely, Persephone is meant to become the Queen of the Underworld, right?”

She had once been furious that I had taken her daughter, but now she was pushing for marriage.

Was this anxiety spurred by the incident with Ares’ daughter, who had nearly been assaulted by Poseidon’s son?

“…I already have goddesses in mind.”

“Who said you can’t marry more than one? Since the time of the Titanomachy, you’ve been close to the goddess Styx. And really, it’s not a problem for gods to have multiple wives. Just look at Zeus.”

Demeter gestured toward Zeus with her eyes.

“Ha ha ha! Ganymede, pour me another glass of nectar!”

“Zeus, you…!”

“…You may leave now.”

I turned back to Demeter.

Zeus was laughing with Ganymede, but as Hera glared at him sharply, he quickly sent the cupbearer away.

A crack appeared on Demeter’s otherwise composed face as she observed this.

“…Anyway, you’ve always been too rigid. But that’s exactly why… hmm.”

“I understand what you’re implying. But, as for Persephone, I still need to…”

I was about to tell her that I wasn’t ready to commit to Persephone, but…

I paused, considering the thought I had pushed away for so long. Did I have feelings for her?

It didn’t matter if I was perceived as the Lord of the Underworld who had fallen for a goddess.

After all, I had taken it upon myself to protect my beautiful niece, who was constantly the target of other gods.

But… did I truly harbor feelings for her?

I turned to look at Persephone, who was sitting quietly with her hands clasped together, a slightly anxious look in her eyes.

When our eyes met, she gave me a clumsy smile, but I could still see the flicker of worry within her gaze.

In that moment, I felt an overwhelming impulse. I didn’t want to see that expression.

The anxiety in her eyes… the fear that I might reject her.

Perhaps I felt this way because that unease didn’t suit the lively goddess of spring.

“Hades…”

Even Demeter, who seemed ready to urge me for an answer, fell silent.

She simply waited, eating ambrosia, her eyes watching for my response.

As I thought back to all the moments I’d spent with Persephone, I reflected on my feelings.

I recalled the time when she first arrived in the Underworld… when she had eagerly offered to infuse energy into the training grounds of the heroes…

Yes, Persephone was indeed beautiful.

Her actions were endearing, and I never found them unpleasant.

So then…

Slide

I quietly reached under the table and took Persephone’s soft hand in mine.

It felt a bit embarrassing, but knowing how she felt about me, I couldn’t continue pretending not to notice.

While marriage to my niece might still be too much for now, at least…

“Ah…”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, Demeter.”

Perhaps I did have feelings for Persephone after all.

“I have never once said that I dislike Kore.”

“…? Hades… what did you just say?”

Demeter, halfway through eating her ambrosia, stared at me blankly.

Persephone, now clinging to me with a shy smile, radiated warmth, and I couldn’t help but feel a stirring in my chest as I noticed her blushing cheeks.

“The wedding is nearly over. I think it’s time I return to the Underworld.”

“…Very well.”

* * *

As we descended from Olympus back to the Underworld, I steered the chariot through the fierce winds.

From behind me, Persephone—or rather, Kore—called out.

“Hades.”

“What is it?”

“You called me Kore for the first time earlier.”

Did I?

“That’s your nickname, isn’t it? You said all those close to you call you that.”

“…Hehe.”

From behind me, Kore wrapped her arms around my waist.

As the warmth of the goddess of spring enveloped me, I silently drove the chariot toward the Underworld.