Mint's Goddess and Thebes - (3)
"The ruler of the underworld, who should be the fairest of all, is actually just a clumsy god who often wavers. Has your illusion of me been shattered a bit, Mente?"
"No, not at all... The Hades I know is..."
Mente stammered, trying hard to deny Hades' words.
The Hades she had seen... was truly the god of gods.
Unlike other Olympian gods, he was a kind god who cared for mortals and delivered fair judgments.
He was like the father of souls, welcoming all mortals when they reached death.
But now that she understood the turmoil within Hades, something naturally flowed from her eyes.
Even the strong and iron-willed lord of the underworld had such worries.
How much had he struggled to keep this inner turmoil hidden from everyone until now?
Just imagining that made Mente's heart feel as if it would tear apart.
As tears welled up in Mente's eyes, he gently wiped away her sadness.
Hades, who had been smiling softly, reached out and placed his hand on the back of her neck.
"Ah... wait a moment... is this... a kiss?"
Mente was a virgin goddess with no experience with men.
When she was a nymph, she had no interest in men, and after becoming Hades' priestess, no one dared to touch her.
After becoming a lower deity of the underworld, she was treated as Hades' concubine without realizing it.
As her heart raced, realizing that something she had only known through knowledge was happening to her,
the lord of the underworld, whom she revered, spoke.
"You are the one who catches me every now and then."
"Me...?"
"Yes, every time I think of you and remember the scent of mint... I reflect on my actions."
Ah.
How kind he is.
Such sweet words, even the whispers of Apollo could not be sweeter.
"And I am always grateful to you for creating mint, thinking I owe you a debt."
"And... what else...? More..."
"... I think I feel the same way as you."
Thump.
The same feelings.
This is...
Hades' hand on the back of her neck slowly tightened.
Like being enchanted by the song of a siren, Mente's body drew closer to him.
His handsome face, like a statue made by Pygmalion, slowly approached...
And finally, their lips met.
"Hah..."
A brief kiss, like a dream.
After the short kiss ended, I looked at Mente's face, which was still dazed and blank.
The mint goddess stood still, wearing a dreamy expression as if lost in a dream.
"Heh... Hehe..."
"Mente? Are you okay...?"
"Just once... just once more, Hades!"
Peck.
"Ugh. Wait a moment..."
"Just... a little more...!"
I pushed her away for a moment as she excitedly lunged at me and touched my lips.
An old man leaning on a cane nearby clicked his tongue as he watched us.
"Hah... Such impure love displayed shamelessly in the streets... Tsk. Move along."
So, after just kissing Mente, my perception was restored...
Judging by his words about impure love, could that old man be a philosopher?
Wait a moment, does that mean pure love, like homosexuality, is acceptable in the streets?
Hah...
If only the gods of Thebes would punish such things...
"... Why has this culture spread?"
Cough...
No.
The scent of my past life from Mente, who was still beside me, was calming me down.
When I return to the underworld, I must deliver a prophecy to put an end to this...
After that, I spent time wandering around with Mente.
We ate freshly made skewers from street vendors and playfully tucked mint leaves into each other's hair...
It was truly a joyful time.
Every time I saw Mente's smile, the fatigue from my duties in the underworld melted away.
As evening approached, after wandering through every corner of Thebes, the first thing I did upon returning to the underworld was...
"... Are you the high priest of my temple now?"
"Ah! Lord Hades! What brings you to seek me?"
It was to change the strange culture that had spread in Thebes.
Next, I contacted Orpheus and instructed him to convey my intentions to the king ruling Thebes.
I also asked other gods for help in sending a prophecy to the mortal realm.
"So, you mean to say that homosexuality is true love? Wouldn't that reduce the number of newly born humans...?"
"Thanks to Zeus bringing that human boy... Ganymede, was it? Perhaps that's why."
"... If you say so, I will inform my followers as well."
With that, I fell into a peaceful sleep for a while.
Though sleep is not essential for an immortal god, it was a good hobby for calming the mind.
However, while the lord of the underworld slept, chaos erupted in Thebes.
Because all the gods of the underworld, including Pluto, the lord of Thebes, sent prophecies.
"Lord Hades... has expressed grave concerns about 'true love between men'...!"
"... Why?"
"Wasn't Lord Zeus also encouraging true love?"
"Seeing that the lord of the underworld thinks differently, it seems the gods have differing opinions..."
"It is clear that we have misunderstood something...!"
Most of the people in Thebes were followers of Pluto.
The words of the high priest of Pluto quickly spread throughout Thebes.
"What kind of punishment will we face if we do not follow the prophecy?"
"No... But still, he is a god of mercy, how could he...?"
"Have you forgotten what Pluto's other name is? The king of the underworld, Hades... Ahem."
"Surely not all who engage in homosexuality will be cast into Tartarus?"
The pride of Thebes, the Sacred Brigade, was immediately disbanded that day.
The king, who had received a prophecy from Morpheus in a dream the night before, was frothing at the mouth in rage.
What kind of prophecy he experienced in that dream, the king summoned his ministers and declared...
"Immediately disband the Sacred Brigade! A law prohibiting love between men shall also be enacted in the name of the royal family..."
"Your Majesty! That is... philosophers..."
"Throw those philosophers into prison! Their crime is spreading nonsense and angering Pluto!"
Fortunately, no philosophers were arrested due to the ministers' pleas, but their influence greatly diminished.
No mortal wished to incur the wrath of the three gods, the lord of Thebes, and the king of the underworld.
Even Hades, along with all the gods who had received his request, sent prophecies, further solidifying this.
"Goddess Lethe, Goddess Styx, and all the gods, including Hypnos, sent prophecies to their followers..."
"Wasn't it long ago that the Sphinx appeared in Thebes due to the anger of the gods?"
"Then, because of the Sacred Brigade... are we to see another monster like the Sphinx in Thebes?"
"If it is a monster, that would be fortunate! Do you know what punishment awaits you after you die?"
"It was wrong to interpret the will of the gods according to human whims. The tale of Zeus and Ganymede is merely an example..."
"Honestly, I never liked that Sacred Brigade much."
"Hah... I must tighten the reins at home. We cannot go against Pluto's temper."
Thebes faced a great change overnight.
After finishing my date with Mente, I released the accumulated fatigue through sleep and observed the situation in the mortal realm.
I focused my mind to see if the humans had interpreted the prophecy delivered to Thebes correctly...
"Those damn philosophers! If I can't find peace even in death because of you, will you take responsibility?"
"What? True love between men? Nonsense..."
"Those who instilled strange thoughts into the king and created the Sacred Brigade are now raising their heads..."
Bang! Crash!
"Is it because Pluto rules the underworld that he says this is not true love?"
"It seems he is worried that humans might not see their descendants, but because of the god of mercy..."
"Perhaps he fell in love with Persephone after being struck by Eros' arrow?"
"What?! You... are you part of the faction that supports Persephone as the queen of the underworld?! How dare you abandon the goddess of oaths, Styx!"
"Hah! How much has the goddess of forgetfulness done for us Thebans..."
Among the crowd cursing the philosophers who supported homosexuality, there were those sitting in an open area speculating about my intentions as a god of the underworld...
And there was a collective beating of a philosopher who had fervently supported true love between men.
In truth, I did not want to know that the philosopher was said to be homosexual...
Even the soldiers dispatched from the royal family merely watched the beating without taking any action.
From what the soldiers said...
"We do not interfere. Helping those who have incurred Pluto's wrath may bring divine punishment."
"But captain, I believe the god of mercy would not act that way. That person cherishes mortals more than anyone..."
"You foolish! This is the first time Pluto has delivered a prophecy regarding our Theban culture!"
"Still..."
"Since he has shown anger, those people will not find peace even after death."
Hmm, more talk of the gods of the underworld.
Though the god of mercy was well-known, it was indeed due to the prophecy that directly interfered with culture.
This prophecy could be seen as a small misstep.
Knowing that many humans distort the will of the gods, I still made such a mistake.
It seems I imposed my personal likes and dislikes too strongly.
I must convey my true intentions through the high priest again...
A short while later, a new prophecy was delivered to Thebes.
Upon hearing the news from the temple of Pluto, the people of Thebes reacted swiftly.
"It is a new prophecy from the god Pluto! Although Pluto does not personally view love between men favorably, he clearly stated that it is a sin to assault or expel them solely for that reason!"
"Well, I tried to warn you..."
"What did I say? Pluto is also a god of mercy, so we should exercise restraint in our actions..."
"Still, he does not favor such forms of love, so we should be cautious."
"Of course, the god of Thebes is none other than Pluto."
Those who heard the prophecy felt relieved.
It seemed that the god of mercy, Pluto, had not been greatly angered.
Afterward, a custom emerged in Thebes that was somewhat wary of homosexuals,
viewing those who fell in love in such a manner as poor souls tricked by the whims of Eros.