Chapter Title: A Slightly Different Story of the Underworld - (2)
Step by step.
As I carried Persephone back to the fortress, I felt some movement in my arms.
Has she recovered enough to regain consciousness?
"Umm... Where is this... Ah!"
"You're awake. Just wait a moment, I’ll move you soon."
It is not easy to overlay another god's realm with my own power.
That is why Gaia finds it difficult to meddle in Thebes, which is overflowing with my followers.
Even I, as one of the Three Great Gods, find it quite challenging to cover Athens or Delphi with my power.
It is not impossible, but it takes quite a toll on my energy.
But now, a being whose divinity does not even reach that of the Twelve Olympians dares to touch my realm?
Even if it is just a part of the underworld that has been manipulated, it is certainly not an easy task.
Fortunately, it is possible because Persephone is of the bloodline of Zeus and Demeter.
If my niece were not in the underworld, the Twelve Olympians would have to neutralize the underworld's energy directly.
"Uncle Hades... You are holding me so kindly... Does this mean you have finally decided to marry me?"
"Just be quiet and recover your strength before I set you down."
The goddess in my arms throws a playful remark with a weak smile, but her face is pale.
Right now, she probably struggles to even move a finger.
When she confirmed the energy of the underworld that had been neutralized...
"This is not a one-time event. It will require a boost of power every six months to maintain."
"Then I can be in Uncle Hades' arms every six months?"
"... Since you have done something for me, I can allow it."
The spring energy that Persephone infused does not last forever.
After some time, it will be eroded by the energy of the underworld and eventually return to its original state.
"Heh... Hehe..."
"What are you smiling about? You should be unable to use your divine power for a while."
"I'm just happy right now..."
"Hah..."
Looking at Persephone, who is smiling brightly while gazing up at me, I couldn't help but smile back.
My niece, nestled in my arms, looks up at me with a slightly surprised expression.
"Wait?! Did you just smile?"
"... You must have seen it wrong."
I gently set Persephone down in a suitable room and returned to my throne, closing my eyes.
From now on, I must prepare to deliver oracles to the mortal realm and nurture heroes.
In a few days, Zeus will personally deliver an oracle to the king of Thebes, so I need to inform my priests in advance.
I must also bring various training tools and items to the canyon...
Since the heroes will need food from the mortal realm, I need to arrange for that as well...
For a while, the priests of the mortal realm will have a tough time.
"Are you the high priest now? I called you here to convey a message."
"This... This is! Oh, Lord of the Underworld..! Command me!"
The current high priest was an old man.
Watching the face and position of the mortal change, I felt the passage of time was indeed merciless...
"I will connect the underworld and the mortal realm starting from my temple."
"Y-Yes?!"
Now is not the time to be lost in such sentiments.
The high priest was startled by the sudden revelation, but I ignored him and continued explaining.
About the snake monster, the Gigas... the nurturing and management of heroes, and the oath made to the River Styx...
"... That is all. Discuss the details with the king of Thebes, who will receive Zeus' oracle in a few days, and make a decision."
"I will obey your command, Lord of Mercy, Pluto!"
"Oh, and... set up a statue of Persephone, the goddess of spring and daughter of Demeter and Zeus."
"Are you saying that the goddess of spring resides in the underworld...?!"
"It has turned out that way. She is now a goddess belonging to the underworld."
I conveyed suitably limited information to him in Thebes and ended the communication.
Even though he is the high priest of my temple, there is no need to inform him of every detail regarding the gods.
However, it seems this high priest has a very strong faith.
It has become quite easy to connect with the mortal realm and convey my intentions.
It seems that as time passes, the faith of my followers is gradually increasing...
"Hades! A letter from Goddess Demeter for Goddess Persephone!"
"... There is no need to bring it to me, just deliver it directly to Persephone."
As I sat quietly on my throne, tasks began to pile up.
"Next, those who have come to the underworld with strong grudges and memories have been disrespectful towards the gods..."
"Inform the goddess of forgetfulness, Lethe."
"The god Eros, who is in charge of punishing the great sinners of the underworld, has requested to stop pulling his bow..."
"Did he plead to be let go?"
"Um... He did not say that."
"He still hasn't come to his senses; for the time being, do not convey Eros' words."
"Also, the heir of the sea god Poseidon, Triton, has arrived to convey greetings..."
"Guide him to the audience chamber and bring out nectar."
As I handled the tasks one by one that the messenger brought, I thought to myself.
Now it finally feels like the underworld as it usually is.
An oracle from the Olympian gods was delivered to the mortal realm.
To the temple of Apollo in Delphi, and to the temple of Athena in Argos...
The message conveyed by the Olympian gods to the mortal realm was but one.
Those who wish to become heroes should head to Thebes.
Though it was a short oracle of just one sentence, it stirred the hearts of all young people dreaming of becoming heroes.
After the widely known hero Chiron was killed, many thought it would be difficult to become a hero...
Perhaps it was because a massive rampage of giant monsters with snake lower bodies swept across Greece not long ago,
Those who wished to become heroes overflowed.
"Does this mean that one can gain strength and become a hero there?"
"God Apollo said that the name of the snake monsters that killed Chiron is Gigas."
"I heard that the goddess Athena descended and killed the Gigas?"
"They say it is a monster that only heroes can face... Good! It should be at least that level!"
If all the gods spoke through the oracle, the conclusion was clear.
"If you go to Thebes, you can catch the eye of the gods!"
"Those chosen there will receive blessings and weapons and become heroes!"
"I want to be like King Perseus of Argos...!"
Every day, dozens of aspiring heroes gathered in Thebes.
With people of different genders, ages, and specialties flocking to the city, Thebes experienced an unexpected boom.
"Your Majesty, even today, the number of those who passed through the city gates..."
"The population of the city is rapidly increasing."
"Too many people are gathering in the commercial district, and we may need to expand a bit..."
Although it seemed that the sudden population surge would lead to a shortage of essentials and facilities,
This is a city blessed by Pluto, the god of wealth.
The royal treasury of Thebes was always full, and there were no signs of anyone going hungry.
The mint, a specialty and famous product, spread throughout the world through merchants passing through here.
"Is this... mint? The grace of God Pluto... is this what it is?"
"It is also very suitable for tea leaves, and if placed at the funeral of the deceased, it can prevent odors."
"It is also useful for headaches or nasal congestion... There is no other way to explain it than as mercy bestowed upon mortals by Pluto."
Naturally, worshippers flocked to the temple of Pluto in Thebes.
The worshippers were astonished by the grandeur of the temple, amazed once again by the statues of all the gods belonging to the underworld, and finally...
"Wait, why is there a statue of the goddess of spring in the temple of God Pluto?"
"Oh, is that what this is?"
"Isn't Goddess Persephone the daughter of the earth goddess Demeter and God Zeus?"
"Haha. That is because... Pluto was struck by Eros' arrow and brought her to the underworld!"
"What?! Eros' arrow?"
"Otherwise, how could the lord of the underworld, who existed so nobly, suddenly fall for the goddess of spring?"
The misunderstanding that Pluto had kidnapped Persephone was also spreading.
Doubts about the mistress of the underworld, who had not existed since the temple of the underworld was first established, were gradually growing.
"Indeed, if the god of mercy brought the goddess of spring to the underworld, it would be impossible without Eros' arrow."
"Since Zeus of the underworld is Pluto, no matter how hard Goddess Demeter tries, it may have been in vain..."
"Isn't it Eros' golden arrow that stirs feelings even between the same sex?"
Worshippers who originally did not belong to the underworld but had newly come to the underworld to worship the goddess also began to appear.
They were those who believed that Pluto loved Persephone so much that he brought her to the underworld.
"O Hera of the Elysium, favored by Pluto, may this year's harvest be plentiful..."
"Yet, seeing that the four seasons are normal, she must occasionally come up to the mortal realm, right?"
"Surely, she must be loved by God Pluto."
However, those who thought of Persephone as the mistress of the underworld soon faced fierce opposition.
Many worshippers questioned what happened to the numerous statues of goddesses that had existed in the temple from the beginning.
"No, Goddess Persephone is merely a whim of God Pluto!"
"Among the statues here are the goddess of forgetfulness, Lethe, and the goddess who governs the River Styx..."
"Then what about Menthe, who created mint, became a priestess of Pluto, and ultimately became a goddess of the underworld?"
"The consort of God Zeus is Goddess Hera, and the consort of God Poseidon is Goddess Amphitrite, so the mistress of the underworld is..."
"Isn't it true that there is no such thing as a consort? Perhaps it is just our imagination..."
"Hey! That is nonsense! How could there be no one beside the ruler of a world!"
"That may be true, but Pluto is indeed a very busy god..."
This was truly a display of the ancient Greeks' tendency to debate over trivial matters.
In the end, the wide open space in front of the temple of Hades...
Was transforming into a place where the worshippers of the underworld gathered daily to discuss the consort of Pluto.