The King of the Underworld is Tired

Step, step.

As I held Persephone and returned to the fortress, I felt her stirring in my arms.

Has she recovered enough to regain consciousness?

“Ugh... Where is this... Hah!”

“You're awake. I'll move you soon, so just wait.”

Overlapping another god’s domain with my own power is not easy.

This is why Gaia found it difficult to meddle with Thebes, overflowing with my followers.

Even as one of the Three Great Gods, covering Athens or Delphi with my power is no easy task.

It's not impossible, but it’s quite draining.

And now, a lesser god, not even on the level of the Twelve Olympians, dares to touch my underworld?

No matter how much of the underworld they might have tried to alter, it’s no easy feat.

The only reason it was possible at all is because Persephone is of Zeus and Demeter’s lineage.

If my niece hadn’t been in the underworld, the Olympian gods themselves would have had to neutralize the underworld’s aura.

“Uncle Hades... For you to hold me so tenderly... Are you finally agreeing to marry me?”

“Just be quiet and focus on recovering before I put you down.”

The goddess in my arms made a weak smile and joked, but her face was pale.

Right now, she’s likely struggling to even move a finger.

When I confirmed the power and aura she neutralized from the underworld...

“This isn’t something that ends after a single attempt. To maintain it, you'll need to replenish its power every six months.”

“Then I get to be held by you every six months, Uncle Hades?”

“...You've done something helpful, so I can manage that.”

The spring energy Persephone infused will not continue indefinitely.

After some time, it will be eroded by the aura of the underworld and eventually return to its original state.

“Heh... Hehe...”

“What are you giggling about? For the time being, you’ll find it difficult to use your divine powers.”

“I'm just happy right now...”

“Ha...”

Seeing Persephone smile bashfully while looking up at me made the corners of my mouth rise without me realizing.

The niece in my arms looked up at me with a slightly surprised expression.

“Huh?! Didn’t you just smile?”

“...You must have imagined it.”

* * *

I put Persephone down in a suitable room and returned to the throne, closing my eyes.

I needed to start preparing to deliver an oracle to the living world and cultivate a hero.

A few days later, Zeus will deliver an oracle to the king of Thebes, and he took Morpheus along, so...

I should also inform the priests at my temple in advance.

I need to bring various training tools and supplies to the canyon...

Since the food for the heroes has to come from the living world, not the underworld, there's that too...

The priests in the living world will have a hard time for a while.

“Are you the high priest now? I have a message for you.”

“Oh... This is...! O Lord of the Underworld...! Give your command!”

The current high priest was an old man.

Seeing the faces and ranks of mortals change reminds me of the passage of time, but...

“I will connect the underworld and the living world, starting from my temple.”

“Y-Yes?!”

This isn’t the time to get lost in such thoughts.

The high priest was bewildered by my sudden statement, but I ignored it and continued explaining.

About the serpent monster, Gigantes... About the training and management of heroes, the oath to be made by the river Styx...

“...That is all. Discuss the detailed matters with the king of Thebes after he receives Zeus’s oracle in a few days.”

“I shall obey your command. Merciful Pluto!”

“Oh, and... Erect a statue of Persephone, the goddess of spring and seeds, daughter of Demeter and Zeus.”

“The goddess of spring... Are you saying she resides in the underworld?!”

“It happened that way. She now belongs to the underworld.”

I delivered appropriately limited information to him in Thebes before cutting off communication.

Even though he was the high priest of my temple, there was no need to reveal all the details of the gods’ affairs.

It seems this high priest is very devout.

Delivering my will or connecting with the living world is incredibly smooth.

For some reason, the faith of the followers seems to increase with the passage of time...

“Lord Hades! Goddess Demeter has sent a letter for Goddess Persephone!”

“...No need to bring it to me. Deliver it directly to Persephone.”

Just sitting on the throne, it seems there are endless things to handle.

“Next, those who arrived in the underworld with strong resentment are speaking disrespectfully about the gods...”

“Inform Lethe, the goddess of oblivion, of this matter.”

“God Eros, who is tasked with punishing the grave sinners of the underworld, has submitted a petition that he no longer wishes to draw his bow...”

“Did he beg to be released?”

“Uh... He did not say that.”

“He still hasn’t come to his senses. For now, ignore Eros's requests.”

“And Triton, the son of Lord Poseidon, ruler of the sea, has arrived to convey his regards...”

“Guide him to the audience chamber and bring out nectar.”

As I dealt with each task the messenger brought, I thought...

This finally feels like the usual underworld.

* * *

The Olympian gods' oracle descended upon the living world.

It came to Apollo’s temple at Delphi, to Athena’s temple at Argos...

The content conveyed by the Olympian gods with one voice was just one thing.

Those who wish to become heroes should head to Thebes.

It was a short oracle, just one sentence, but it greatly stirred the hearts of young people dreaming of becoming heroes.

Becoming a hero had seemed difficult since the well-known teacher of heroes, Chiron, met his death...

But perhaps because of the recent rampage by the giant snake-bodied monsters that swept across all of Greece, 

there was no shortage of people wanting to become heroes.

“Does that mean we can train there and become heroes?”

“Apollo said the names of those snake monsters that killed Chiron were Gigantes.”

“They say Athena descended in Athens and killed the Gigantes, right?”

“A monster that only heroes can face... Fine! That’s the kind of challenge I’m looking for!”

With all the gods giving the same oracle, the conclusion was clear.

“If you go to Thebes, you can gain the gods' favor!”

“Those chosen there will receive blessings and arms and become heroes!”

“I want to be like King Perseus of Argos...!”

Every day, dozens of hero hopefuls gathered in Thebes.

People of all genders, ages, and skills flocked to the city, bringing an unexpected boom to Thebes.

“Your Majesty, even today, the number of those passing through the city gates...”

“The city's population is rapidly increasing.”

“There are too many people gathering in the commercial district; we may need to expand it a bit...”

Though it seemed the sharp increase in population would lead to shortages of necessities and facilities,

this city was blessed by Pluto, the god of wealth.

The royal treasury of Thebes was always full, and there were no hungry people.

The mint, a specialty and famous product of the city, was being spread worldwide by merchants passing through.

“Hey, this is mint, right? You say it’s a blessing from Pluto?

“It’s perfect for tea leaves, and it can prevent decay when placed at a funeral for the dead.”

“The leaves are also useful for headaches or nasal congestion... It can only be described as a mercy granted by Pluto to mortals.”

Naturally, followers gathered at the temple of Pluto in Thebes.

The worshippers were amazed by the grandeur of the temple, astonished again at the statues of all the gods associated with the underworld, and lastly...

“Wait, why is there a statue of the goddess of spring in Pluto’s temple?”

“Oh, that? Well...”

“Isn’t Lady Persephone the daughter of Demeter, goddess of the earth, and Zeus?”

“Haha. You see, Pluto ended up getting struck by an arrow from Eros and brought her to the underworld!”

“What?! An arrow from Eros?”

“How else could the solemn ruler of the underworld suddenly fall for the goddess of spring?”

The misunderstanding that Pluto had kidnapped Persephone was also spreading.

Questions about the queen of the underworld, who had not existed since the first creation of the underworld temple, began to grow.

“Indeed, for the merciful god to bring the goddess of spring to the underworld, it could only have been an arrow from Eros.”

“Pluto is the Lord of the underworld, so no matter how hard Demeter tried, it was probably no use...”

“Isn't it Eros's golden arrow that can even make love bloom between the same gender?”

There also emerged followers who worshipped the goddess who came to the underworld not originally part of it.

They believed the theory that Pluto had brought Persephone to the underworld because he loved her deeply.

“O Hera of the underworld, favored by Pluto, please let this year’s harvest be plentiful...”

“Well, since the four seasons are normal, doesn’t that mean she occasionally comes up to the living world?”

“She must indeed be loved by Pluto.”

However, those who thought of Persephone as the queen of the underworld soon faced strong opposition.

Many worshippers questioned what all the other goddess statues that had always been in the temple represented.

“No, Goddess Persephone is just a whim of Pluto!”

“Look at the goddess statues here—like Lady Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness, or Lady Styx, who governs the River Styx...”

“Then what would you say about Lady Minthe, who made mint, became Pluto’s priestess, and ultimately became a goddess of the underworld?”

“Just as Lady Hera is the wife of Lord Zeus, and Lady Amphitrite is the consort of Lord Poseidon, the queen of the underworld should be...”

“Isn’t it possible there’s no such thing as a proper wife? Maybe it’s just our own assumption...”

“Nonsense! How could a ruler of an entire realm not have someone by their side?”

“Well, that’s true, but Lord Pluto is so busy with both divine and worldly matters...”

This was a classic example of the ancient Greeks’ tendency to enjoy debating the most trivial of matters.

Eventually, the wide open space in front of Hades’ temple...

turned into a place where followers of the underworld gathered daily to debate who Pluto's true wife was.