Persephone's Story - (7)
Demeter's face flushed red as she pointed a finger at me.
"Hades! Did you conspire with Eros to shoot my daughter with an arrow?"
"I swear I didn't! I dodged the golden arrow that flew behind me, and it just happened to hit Persephone..."
"Then why did you take her to the Underworld and feed her? You’re no different from Zeus or Poseidon!"
"What? You dare compare me to those fools?"
No matter how much her daughter had gone mad after descending to the Underworld, how could she compare me to those two?
Hoo...
No, I need to calm down.
"... Think about it calmly. Do I look like a god who would flirt with a daughter I didn't even know existed? This is all a coincidence."
"Ugh...! So, are you saying it's all Eros's fault? No matter what, Eros wouldn't have the guts to shoot an arrow at you..."
The gods do not interfere in each other's domains.
Even if a mistake occurs or one lacks the qualities of a god, a god is still a god.
If Poseidon were to fall into despair and give up everything, the creatures of the sea would slowly perish.
If Ares were to refrain from starting wars, the number of mortals would increase excessively.
If Aphrodite's love were to be restrained because it is too free-spirited, newly born mortals would cease to exist.
Not interfering in another god's domain is an unwritten rule of the divine realm.
Because of this, if a god's nature is free-spirited, it often causes trouble for other gods.
However, the higher the divine rank, the more this unwritten rule tends to fade.
Few dare to challenge the three main gods who govern a world.
The reason why the goddess of justice, Dike, cannot point out the crimes of high-ranking gods is the same.
Demeter must have been referring to that.
"I think it was just a mistake while practicing archery."
"A mistake?"
"Right after your daughter was hit by the arrow, I looked around, and Eros was nowhere to be found."
"What... No, but could such a coincidence really happen... perhaps?"
As Demeter stood still, catching her breath, her face turned red again, and she gathered clouds and flew away.
Could it be... is she going to confront Eros? Or is she going to complain to Zeus?
I hurriedly followed her.
"Aphrodite! Did you send your child Eros to shoot the arrow?"
"No, why are you accusing me? What is this all about?"
As I quickly flew on the clouds, I saw Demeter arguing with Aphrodite at her residence.
It seems my previous words to Aphrodite had an effect.
Next to her was not Ares, but Hephaestus.
Well, even if it’s not to my liking, they are a couple, after all...
At least it would be proper for them to be together in public.
From a distance, Hephaestus looked at me with a questioning gaze.
"Uncle... What’s this about Eros's arrow?"
"It’s nothing much. Eros shot a golden arrow at me, I dodged it, and it hit Demeter's daughter."
"What?!"
"Ah... No, is that really what happened? This is the first I'm hearing of it..."
"You’re saying you didn’t order him to do it? Really Eros acted on his own..."
"If I had truly orchestrated this, I would have told him to shoot while passing by Hades!"
Hearing my explanation, it seemed the misunderstanding between Aphrodite and Demeter was cleared up.
But who would tell someone to shoot while passing by whom?
When I shot a glance at Aphrodite, she subtly avoided my gaze.
"No... I just meant it as a figure of speech..."
"Enough! Call your son here, so we can find out if this was truly an accident or Eros's prank..."
"Alright! I’ll just ask Eros!"
Under Demeter's urging, the goddess of beauty and love grumbled as she went to call her son.
As I watched Demeter waiting with her arms crossed, Hephaestus called out to me.
"Uncle, does this mean that Persephone has taken a liking to you?"
"It seems so... But you know her too. She looks quite young for a goddess."
My nephew really did look young.
Eros had only been born not long ago...
Persephone, no matter how much she had aged, must be around 200? 300 years old?
"I live in the Olympus palace. I haven’t seen the goddess of spring and seeds at the banquet, but I’ve heard rumors."
"What rumors?"
"They say she resembles her parents perfectly and is incredibly beautiful."
"I see..."
"Is she really that beautiful? They say her golden hair and eyes are as lovely as the grains blessed by Demeter."
Is being a beautiful goddess all that matters to you?
No, it’s not like I had a proper love with Aphrodite...
"Ugh... I’m really envious, Uncle. I can assure you that you have surely been blessed by Aphrodite!"
"... It’s not a situation to be happy about if my nephew has taken a liking to me."
"What? What’s wrong with that? Right now, Persephone's parents are siblings, and most of the Olympian gods are born from familial unions..."
It seemed he truly did not understand my words, as I saw only confusion in the eyes of the smith god.
"Actually, there are times when I find Athena beautiful as well. Don’t you think so, Uncle?"
"Hephaestus."
"Her excellent figure cannot be hidden even with the armor and helmet she always wears... Right?"
"Let’s stop this nonsense here."
"...? Understood..."
Of course, the goddesses Lethe and Styx are distant relatives, but...
Even so, Persephone is too close a blood relative.
Even if the gods say incest is not a sin, this is a bit much.
Eros's golden arrow was indeed a mistake.
One of the arrows he shot while wandering outside the Olympus palace had unfortunately been aimed this way.
"It really was a mistake. The arrow flew towards Mount Etna, but I never thought someone would get hit..."
Aphrodite, having grasped the situation, placed her hands on her hips and scolded her son.
Eros's forehead was already flushed red, as if he had been hit several times.
"I’ve told you countless times! Practice archery on a designated target!"
"... I’m sorry..."
"Hmph! No matter how young a god you are, is saying sorry enough after hitting my daughter?"
Eros, holding a cute-looking bow, looked utterly dejected.
On the outside, he appeared to be around 5 or 6 years old, but he had pure white wings on his back.
"I told you to be careful with arrows because they are dangerous and only use them when absolutely necessary! Are you going to keep doing this?!"
"Ah... I understand. But mother..."
"Still going on about that?! What about me?!"
"... You told me to shoot the golden arrow when passing in front of Lord Hades! Why are you only blaming me?!"
"What?"
Demeter, who had not calmed down, looked at Aphrodite with a dumbfounded expression.
"Ah... Now that I see it, it’s clear that the mother and son are alike."
"This... this... this is a misunderstanding!"
"Pfft. A misunderstanding? Just the other day, you told Lord Hades to shoot him a good look... Ugh!"
"Oh my! Why is he saying such things...!"
The goddess of beauty hurriedly covered her child's mouth, forcing an awkward smile.
Is she really using Eros now, on top of wearing that Kestos Himas?
"... If Eros's arrow flies again, I will definitely think it was your doing."
"This... this is all Hades's fault! How could the goddess of beauty want something so much and not get it even once?!"
As Aphrodite began to blame me with a face flushed red, I felt a headache coming on.
No, is it right for a married woman with an affair to act like this?
"Anyway, it’s all Hades's fault!"
With that one line, Aphrodite flew away with tears in her eyes.
It’s fortunate that Hephaestus isn’t here right now.
If he had seen this, would the portrayal of Ares and Aphrodite from the last festival of arts have been different?
The smith god might have shed tears and sided with Gaia...
As I watched Aphrodite's figure gradually fade away, the goddess of the earth seemed to come to a sudden realization, nodding her head and murmuring.
"Surely, Hades, you did not flirt with my daughter. I never thought there would be a man who could reject the goddess of beauty's advances..."
...
Perhaps it would have been better to be overwhelmed with numerous tasks in the Underworld.
"Anyway, I apologize for misunderstanding."
"... Alright. Now that you know, that’s enough."
Next, I turned my gaze to Eros, who had his wings drooping and wore a gloomy expression.
Even if it was a mistake, I should teach him the lesson that one should not shoot the golden arrows of love carelessly...
"Um... Can I go now? Lord Hades...?"
"Eros. If you need a place to practice archery, I can provide it in the Underworld."
"Really...?!"
"If you come to the Underworld shortly, I will let you practice archery to your heart's content."
"Wow! Is that true? I’ll be there in a moment!"
Eros flew away cheerfully, unaware of his future.
Since Aphrodite is also a goddess of love, even if Eros stays in the Underworld for a long time, the balance of the world should not be greatly affected.
Finally, I might be able to lessen the burdens of the dead who are tortured day and night.
I will make sure he never shoots arrows carelessly again.
Even if his fingers fall off, he must continue to shoot...!
"Even if I fell for you after being hit by Eros's arrow, I must persuade Kore."
"Do as you wish. If you plan to return to the Underworld now, get on the chariot."
"My daughter eating the food of the Underworld..."
As I was about to descend to the Underworld with Demeter, someone approached, stepping on the clouds.
A powerful divine presence comparable to mine, a blue-haired god.
My brother and the lord of the sea, Poseidon, looked at us with a gaze full of regret.
Something feels off...
Demeter spoke to him.
"Poseidon? What brings you here?"
"Hmm. Hmm. Demeter, I heard the news that your daughter is missing and came to offer my condolences..."
"Where did you hear that? And what do you mean by condolences?"
"Ahem! It seems I arrived a bit late. Tsk. Anyway, I’ll take my leave."
With a regretful glance at Demeter, Poseidon vanished.
Demeter's daughter, who had been playing near Mount Etna, had taken my chariot to the Underworld.
Poseidon must have heard that fact from nearby nymphs.
By the way, condolences... 'Condolences'...
Hmm.
That rough Poseidon surely did not come to offer condolences in a normal conversation...
Could it be that he thought Demeter would be so engulfed in sorrow over losing her daughter that he would try to establish a relationship?
A moment of silence fell between us.
Soon, reaching the same conclusion as I did, Demeter clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
"Zeus or Poseidon! Ugh...! All the male gods are the same!"
"... That’s an insult."
This was the state of Olympus, where all mortals revere and fear the gods.