The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 104: The Story of Eros and Psyche – (3)

Apollo, the god of the sun, hurried over after receiving Morpheus' message, looking strangely aggrieved.

Just from his expression, it was clear that he was involved.

“Apollo, speak honestly. Why did you give such a prophecy?”

“Uncle… it’s because…”

“As far as I know, there isn’t a single human woman in this era fated to marry a monster. You, as the god of prophecy, should know that better than anyone.”

“…”

“Do you know what rumors are spreading among the humans in many cities? They’re saying that the gods, jealous of Psyche's beauty, are forcing her to marry a monster. Sympathy for this human is growing, and this tarnishes the dignity of the gods, doesn’t it?”

After a brief silence, Apollo finally spoke.

“Well… this whole situation is Eros’ fault.”

“…? What does Eros have to do with this?”

Hadn’t he returned from his work in the underworld and learned some self-restraint?

“Eros is the one who desires that human woman, Psyche. That’s what caused all this.”

“Explain more.”

“As you know, uncle, I, as the god of prophecy, am aware of many things. But when I look at this human, Psyche, I sense a bitter fragrance from her lips and a sweet aroma from her hair. Isn’t that exactly like the bitter and sweet waters from Aphrodite’s spring? Since Aphrodite hasn’t left Olympus… it must be Eros, that reckless one, who desires Psyche and has caused all of this. That’s why I gave such a prophecy.”

At least the reason why Apollo gave that prophecy was clear now.

Having once been struck by a golden arrow and fallen in love with the nymph Daphne, Apollo surely held a grudge against Eros.

Thus, he likely tried to interfere with Eros’ love by proclaiming Psyche was destined to marry a wicked monster.

But Eros is a male god who takes the outward form of a boy uninterested in goddesses… so why would he desire Psyche?

Could his mother, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, have ordered him to do this?

But why would she go out of her way to trouble one human… wait a minute.

“I’ve heard their daughter is incredibly beautiful…”

Didn’t Lady Lethe say that? There’s a rumor that Psyche is extraordinarily beautiful.

And the goddess who governs beauty is Aphrodite… Hmm.

“This isn’t something I can discuss with you alone. We need to summon Eros and Aphrodite too.”

“Yes…”

* * *

The three of them—no, the three gods—gathered in the underworld.

As soon as they were all together, they started arguing, as if each already knew the whole story.

I tried to calm them down, but…

“Eros! Isn’t this all because of your disgraceful golden arrows?”

“What?! You could’ve just told Psyche that she’s destined to marry me!”

“Hmph… and why would I do that? How does it feel to get a taste of your own medicine, after hitting me with your golden arrow?”

It was quite a sight, so I decided to quietly observe. Let’s see how far they’ll go.

“Eros, what did I tell you… You should have just quietly shot that insolent human with a lead arrow! Now, because of you, I’ve had to come to the underworld again…”

“And Mother, you’re not without fault! How can you be jealous of a human who can’t even live for more than a century?”

“Your body may have grown, but your childish personality remains the same… controlling the emotions of others at will…”

“Apollo, are you asking to be hit with my golden arrow again? Was it really so hard to give a proper prophecy?”

“Go ahead and shoot! I’ll show you the power of my sun arrows.”

Look at this... not a single one of them is without blame.

Aphrodite, who, out of jealousy, tried to punish a human by using Eros; Eros, who sprinkled the bitter water to claim Psyche for himself; and Apollo, who still hadn’t let go of his past grudge and tried to prevent Eros from uniting with the human he loved.

“Enough. All of you, be quiet.”

“But Hades!”

“Aphrodite. Must I say it again?”

What a complete mess. Why are all their personalities like this?

At least things have quieted down a bit. Now, how do I clean this up?

If word of this gets out, the humans' faith in the gods will plummet, so if I want to resolve this smoothly…

“Eros. Do you truly love that human, Psyche?”

“Yes… I can never give her up.”

“If she loves you in return, then take responsibility. But give each other time to truly get to know one another.”

“A…! Yes! Thank you!”

“However, pouring bitter water on an innocent human wasn’t the right thing to do. We’ll discuss that further later…”

The god of love, now bearing the face of a young man who had finally come to understand love, slowly nodded, his expression decaying like one reminiscing about his happy days in the underworld.

“Aphrodite. I won’t stop you from testing that human. If your temple starts gathering dust because faith dwindles, you may have a right to be upset.”

“Hmph… Fine.”

“But don’t go too far. Do you understand? Testing your son’s bride is one thing, but don’t push her excessively.”

“But… that insolent girl…”

“Aphrodite. Are you saying the greatest beauty on Olympus is so easily affected by mere human perception? In my view, no matter how beautiful Psyche may be, she could never surpass you. As the goddess of love and beauty, show some grace.”

“Well… right! Of course! Surely, I’m far more beautiful than her, even in your eyes, Hades…!”

I’ve managed to convince Aphrodite, but… why is she blushing now?

She’s blushing so much… Isn’t it natural that you, the goddess of beauty, would be the most beautiful?

Finally… I turned to Apollo.

“Don’t use your prophecies to satisfy personal grudges. You know humans take your prophecies as law, an absolute command.”

“I understand, uncle. But because of Eros recklessly shooting his golden arrows…”

“I only shot Apollo because he provoked me first!”

I had heard about what happened on Olympus.

Apollo had mocked Eros for his small bow and arrows, which angered Eros so much that he shot Apollo with a golden arrow and shot the nymph Daphne with a lead arrow, didn’t he?

In the end, Apollo’s love was doomed, and Daphne turned into a laurel tree to escape from him.

“Eros, if you had a problem with Apollo, you should’ve settled it between the two of you. Why drag an innocent nymph into it?”

“Hmph… Uncle Hades is right. Playing with people’s hearts like that—your golden arrows…”

“Apollo, you weren’t exactly innocent in all this either.”

[You’re quite petty. Wasn’t it you who caused Orion’s death last time?]

[Erm… uncle, about that…]

This whole incident was the result of a tangle of grudges, egos, and the pride of the gods.

Unless one of the three major gods—like me, Poseidon, or Zeus—stepped in and put an end to it, things could have gotten much worse.

Not just this incident, but it could’ve led to a vicious cycle of vengeance.

Should I make them all work in the underworld? A good punishment might straighten them out a little.

No, I can’t be the one to discipline them every time. I’ll have to leave it to Zeus.

“How long must I, from the underworld, clean up your messes? I’ll let Zeus know about this.”

“Yes…”

“Understood, Hades…”

“…I’m sorry, uncle.”

“I’ll tell Zeus to punish all three of you severely, so be prepared.”

I glanced at the three gods, who now looked quite subdued, and gestured for them to move along.

Perhaps I should ponder this further in my office, rather than the audience chamber…

What’s done is done, but I still need to consider the praying king, queen, and this human, Psyche…

What would be the best way to resolve this?

Apollo, who is supposed to be the god of reason… Tch. I’ll have to suggest that a proper punishment is in order.

“Hades, a messenger has arrived from Olympus.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Lord Poseidon is asking for Apollo. What should we do?”

“…Tell him I’ll send Apollo back to Olympus after things here in the underworld are settled.”

It seems Poseidon has found out about his son Orion’s death.

Hearing this, I clicked my tongue as I watched Apollo’s face turn pale. See? This is why you shouldn’t have done that…

* * *

The next day, Psyche's parents, who had been pleading while prostrating before Pluto's temple, lit up as if they had encountered a savior.

The high priest of Pluto himself approached them and invited them inside, saying there was an oracle.

“Lord Pluto has said that to avoid the future of marrying a monster, Psyche must spend 100 days on the mountain without ever seeing her husband's face.”

“If... if she does that, then... will my daughter really be able to live a married life with a normal husband and not a monster?”

“Of course. Lord Pluto has also said that she will live a happier life than anyone.”

Psyche's parents were greatly relieved and prayed to every deity in the temple...

Grateful that a path had been given for their daughter to avoid the fate of marrying a monster, they rushed back to the kingdom.

“If I stay on the mountain, my husband will come... and for 100 days?”

“Yes, Psyche. Since the oracle was given directly by Lord Pluto, you must do it, or else... sob.”

“...Please don’t cry, Mother. I’ll be fine wherever I am.”

Psyche left the palace and climbed to the top of the nearby mountain.

But even as she looked around, she couldn’t see anything. Was her husband nearby?

Whoooosh

“…?! Kyaaah!”

A gust of wind blew, causing Psyche to lose her balance.

However, instead of falling down the mountain, she was swept up by a strong wind and carried somewhere.

It wasn’t just the wind sweeping her up, but rather a mysterious force wrapping around her and pushing her far away...

“I’m not sure why Lord Hades asked Euros instead of another god of the wind, but…”

“Hehe... So, all I need to do is take the bride to the groom, huh? This is exactly my specialty. Eros.”

“Euros? Your specialty...?”

“Khehehe... Don’t w

orry and just wait at the mansion.”

...Let's move on from the gods' affairs for now.

Psyche squeezed her eyes shut as the scenery changed rapidly around her.

A moment later, her feet touched solid ground. Had she finally landed?

Feeling relieved, Psyche had no time to reflect on the mysterious wind that had carried her.

“Wow…”

In front of her stood an incredibly luxurious mansion, where she would spend the next 100 days with her husband.