Pluto's Temple Story - (1)
After many long years, in Hades' office.
The king of the underworld was judging souls once again, selecting those who would go to Elysium.
A servant approached, seemingly with something to say.
"Hades, there is a visitor in the underworld..."
"Let them in."
The one who entered was an elderly soul with fading blonde hair due to age.
I recognized him at a glance.
"A precious guest has arrived in the underworld."
"Do you... do you know who I am?"
He was Cadmus, the great hero who deceived Typhon to seize Zeus' tendons and founded Thebes, who defeated the wicked son of Ares, Dracon Ismenios, and after enduring eight years of servitude as punishment, was finally forgiven by Ares and married his daughter, Harmonia.
The great hero Cadmus was bowing before me in fear.
"Indeed, crossing the river of forgetfulness has caused your memories to fade. Mnemosyne, please bring a little water from the pond of memories."
"Understood, Hades. It should be fine for Cadmus."
The goddess of memory, Mnemosyne.
When the dead drink from the river Lethe, they lose all memories of their life.
However, if they drink from the pond of memories, which is the opposite of Lethe, they can regain their memories.
Well... sometimes, souls with very strong grudges retain their memories even after drinking from the river of forgetfulness...
Anyway, the goddess who oversees the pond of memories is Mnemosyne, who just left.
She is also the mother of the Muses, who spent nine nights with Zeus and gave birth to them, governing knowledge and the arts.
As Cadmus drank the water brought from the pond of memories, his memories gradually returned.
His once blurry and confused gaze became clearer, revealing the demeanor of a great hero.
"Ah... Hades, it has truly been a long time since we last met."
"Yes, it has been a while. I was too busy to attend your wedding with Harmonia."
Having regained all his memories, he smiled gently and bowed.
Just like when we first met.
"It is alright. You are the lord of the underworld, so you must be busy."
"Were you not disappointed that I did not attend your wedding?"
"Haha... I would have been even happier if you had come, Hades."
"Hmph. You've grown quite cheeky with age."
The reason I helped Cadmus regain his memories of the mortal realm was simple.
What does a great hero, who stood proudly even before Typhon, think about his life?
I wanted to hear it directly from his own mouth.
"What do you think about the life you lived in the mortal realm?"
"What do you mean...?"
I continued with a slightly bitter expression.
"The curse of misfortune you received for killing Ares' son, Ismenios."
"Ah..."
"I too feel sorrow for the tragedy of the royal family you established in Thebes. Although Ares himself regretted it..."
Once a curse is cast, even a god cannot reverse it.
I heard that Ares regretted cursing Cadmus quite a bit when he gave his daughter to him.
It was the first case of a human marrying a goddess, but it did not end well.
The continuous tragedies of their descendants, caused by the curse of misfortune, led Cadmus and his wife to choose death, turning themselves into serpents.
"Perhaps it would have been better to become a serpent..."
"O father Ares... Do not leave my husband alone. I too... I wish to be transformed into a serpent."
Cadmus fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
He accomplished feats recognized by all, yet this hero, who ultimately suffered due to the gods...
Would he blame the gods for abducting his sister, casting curses, and ultimately leading him and his wife to death because of the misfortunes of their descendants?
"I am not one to forget the grace given."
Different from back then?
After a moment, he spoke again.
"I can understand Ares' curse... What parent could forgive the one who killed their child?"
"Mm."
"Rather, I am grateful for the short punishment of eight years and the generosity of giving me his daughter. And..."
Just like when we first met... it was not a lie born from fear of punishment, but the truth.
Even at the end of his life, filled with misfortune, he remained noble.
"Thanks to that, I was able to meet my wife, who followed me even in unavoidable death."
Harmonia is the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares, the goddess of harmony.
Unlike Dracon Ismenios, she possessed divine immortality but chose to meet death alongside Cadmus.
"The tragedies of our descendants may be my fault, but who else can I blame? It was quite enjoyable to rule Thebes with my wife. The remnants of Typhon that I discovered in the middle were a bit concerning, though..."
"Remnants of Typhon? Did they resemble Typhon?"
"Yes. They were much smaller, but a very powerful monster with a serpent's lower body and a human's upper body, just like Typhon. I had quite a hard time defeating that monster."
A being with a serpent's lower body and a human's upper body.
The fact that Cadmus, who was strong enough to kill Ismenios, had a hard time is noteworthy.
My expression gradually hardened.
Could it be the remnants of Typhon... or perhaps another monster I know?
"But since then, I have not encountered any remnants of Typhon, so I did not feel the need to inform the gods... Hades?"
There is a possibility it could be a Gigante.
"Where did you find that monster?"
"Ah... While taking a walk near Thebes, I followed a strange sound and it led to a cave. That is where it was."
Cadmus said he saw a gigantic half-human, half-beast monster that was devouring people.
He drew his sword to fight, but surprisingly, even Cadmus, who had defeated Dracon, had quite a hard time.
Not all Gigantes possess equal strength.
Fortunately, the entity Cadmus encountered was within his capacity to handle.
Had it been hiding in a cave, perhaps the eyes of the Olympian gods had not reached it.
If our grandmother, the earth goddess Gaia, was using all her power to hide the locations of the Gigantes... it is no wonder Demeter would not know.
Though Demeter is the goddess of the earth, her power is clearly beneath that of Gaia.
Unlike when we drove out the Titan gods, the initiative lies with them this time.
Perhaps it was a trap set intentionally to lure the gods in, or it could have been the unilateral actions of certain entities.
But first, I must confirm whether it is indeed a Gigante through the goddess of memory.
"Mnemosyne, please check Cadmus' memories for a moment."
"Understood. Close your eyes for a moment."
The goddess of memory, Mnemosyne, placed her hand on Cadmus' head and began to read his memories.
Before long, she looked at me with a serious expression and nodded.
Damn, it is indeed a Gigante.
"Yes... it is so. For now, you have been granted the qualification to enter Elysium due to your past merits."
"Ah... Elysium... Thank you, Hades!"
"Your wife is the same; may you both live happily there."
The moment the first inhabitants of paradise, the Elysium Fields, were born.
He would live forever in Elysium, peacefully with his beloved wife.
Though I had a joyful conversation with Cadmus after a long time, my heart was not at ease.
A Gigante that the soldiers of the underworld had not discovered was found in Thebes...?
But I do not have much time to search for the Gigantes myself.
It is not possible to abandon the affairs of the underworld and wander the mortal realm.
Then perhaps I should refer to the case of Apollo, who intervenes in the mortal realm through his temple?
"O priest of Delphi, I have come from afar..."
"Have you come to receive the oracle of Apollo? Please wait a moment."
However, unlike Apollo, who is versatile and can even prophesy, who would take joy in the underworld?
In reality, Apollo is widely worshipped in the mortal realm, and the temple on Delphi Island is famous, but...
In the mortal realm, my temple exists only in Thebes.
It was a temple that Cadmus built in his country, thinking of our connection.
"Contact Olympus and inform them that traces of the Gigantes have been discovered, and bring Morpheus to me."
"Yes!"
A short while later, Morpheus was summoned after hearing the words of the soul soldier.
"What is it, Hades? Did I do something wrong...?"
"I am not here to question you about your hobby of occasionally giving humans nightmares."
He made a surprised expression.
Did he think I wouldn't know? Well, I won't dwell on that...
"I need you to help me a little."
The great hero Cadmus established the nation of Thebes.
In Thebes, there exists only one, no, the only temple of Hades in the world.
As it is a place that enshrines the three great gods, one would expect many humans seeking blessings, but...
"Yawn~"
This place was eerily quiet.
The priestess of Hades' temple, Parona, sat with a face that screamed boredom.
There were no visitors, and people were hesitant to approach a priest of the underworld.
At least being a priestess of Hades meant she would never get into trouble, but...
She was a beautiful maiden of marriageable age, ranking among the top ten in the city, yet...
Even the ruffians who had some strength in Pankration dared not approach her, let alone flirt.
"Sigh... I'm so bored..."
Surely, they feared the consequences of angering Hades' priestess and being dragged to the underworld.
But the name of the god of the underworld made the temple a source of unease.
"Why am I so sleepy during the day...."
Though it was established by the great king Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, the temple of Hades was far too desolate.
Even if the only priestess fell into an unnatural sleep, no one would notice.
When Parona opened her eyes again, it was not the temple.
It was a space filled with darkness, where not even a step could be seen.
Having received a high education as a priestess, she quickly assessed the situation and knelt down.
"I... I do not know which god you are, but do you have a command for this humble human?"
She thought she had fallen asleep, but upon opening her eyes, she found herself in another world.
Her memory was clear, and her body moved well, so it could not be an ordinary dream.
It was definitely an intervention by a god.
However, she thought it could not be Hades, the god she served.
Her master had been silent for far too long.
From somewhere in the darkness, a low, chilling male voice echoed.
"I am Pluto."
....!
Pluto, the alias of Hades, the lord of the underworld.
Then, was this to judge her for not managing the temple properly?
She hurriedly tried to make excuses, but she could only close her mouth again.
"You are the only one of my priests in the mortal realm. I shall give you a small reward and task for your faithful heart."
A reward and a task... so he indeed has something for her to do!
"You are to revive my temple from now on. I shall bestow blessings to aid you in this."
Her body, paralyzed with fear.
Her vision faded to black.
Knowledge rushed violently into her mind, and with that, she awoke from the dream.