King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 87

Love and Fire – (2)

I urgently stopped Hephaestus, who was about to escort Eros to the torture chamber for sinners.

“…Hephaestus.”

“Yes?”

The blacksmith god paused and turned around.

*Right… my nephew gave me the Bident [a two-pronged spear, often associated with Hades], often repaired my equipment, and even built Charon’s boat [the vessel used to ferry souls across the River Styx].*

*So, I should solve his marriage problem to balance things out.*

“Are you still hung up on Aphrodite? Think realistically and answer carefully.”

“…Hmm.”

“If you want, I’ll find you a goddess who is not far behind Aphrodite in beauty.”

Hephaestus pondered deeply.

Confusion, sadness, affection, and regret flickered across his eyes.

“Aphrodite has relationships with not only Ares but also numerous other gods. She has many children…”

“But I…”

“Yes, you must have a lot of lingering feelings. But a marital relationship is difficult to establish with only one side’s courtship. Although Zeus forcibly connected you, you know it too, don’t you?”

“……”

“What you did this time must have reached Aphrodite’s ears.”

The blacksmith god hung his head. He didn’t move for a long time.

Eros’s words reached Hephaestus, who seemed frozen in place.

“Um… Hephaestus.”

“What is it, Eros?”

“Well… I’m the god of love, so I know… my mother’s heart has already moved on…”

“Haa…”

Hephaestus sighed as if the underworld itself would collapse, and finally opened his mouth.

In the end, the words that came out with a bitter smile were resignation.

“Hahaha… Uncle. It seems Aphrodite and I are no longer meant to be.”

“…I see.”

Now that Hephaestus has given up on continuing his marriage with Aphrodite, I was thinking about how to persuade Zeus.

The marriage of Aphrodite and Hephaestus was decided by Zeus, the king of the gods.

He was worried that the gods would fight over the beautiful goddess of beauty.

“I will not accept any further objections! From now on, the husband of the goddess of beauty is Hephaestus!”

Since he strongly declared it with the authority of the supreme god, it would be difficult to overturn that decision without a good reason, evidence, and the consent of other gods.

To persuade Zeus, I need a way to prevent the gods from fighting… and Poseidon’s cooperation.

But if Aphrodite’s official husband disappears, other male gods will go crazy and rush in…

Wait, ‘male’ gods… come to think of it, the justification is on this side.

I heard that Poseidon, the most important one, is currently in Olympus…

I should head to the divine palace above the clouds right now and persuade the gods.

* * *

Olympus Divine Palace.

The peaceful beings above the clouds stir as they see me.

“Wait… isn’t that the King of the Underworld…!”

“Lord Hades?! Is it perhaps because of the problem of taking Demeter’s daughter [Persephone] to the underworld last time?”

“A lot of time has passed, but he might be here because of that lower god named Medusa…”

Poseidon was nowhere to be seen, probably drinking nectar [the drink of the gods] inside.

I called out to a young female servant who was carrying nectar nearby…

“Oh. Oh. L, Lord Hades!”

“Where is Poseidon?”

“The master of the sea is… over there…”

As I nodded and started to move, the servant’s face caught my eye.

I haven’t seen that face in the Olympus Divine Palace… Wait, it looks like a man?

“What is your name? Are you a newly born lower god?”

“I am Ganymedes, a prince of Troy… Zeus brought me to Olympus. Lord of the Underworld!”

I looked at this boy – or *was* he a boy? – who knelt and greeted me.

He has a face that doesn’t fall behind any ordinary goddess, but he’s a boy?

And wait, Zeus brought him? Could this be…

“Did Zeus bring you here forcibly? If so, nod slightly, and I will send you back to the mortal realm.”

“Th- that is not the case. Zeus has treated me well.”

He can’t even speak properly because of fear. It’s obvious that he hasn’t been in Olympus for long.

He doesn’t seem to have any special power or lineage… Did he just kidnap him because of his appearance?

No, Troy is a fairly large country… Is it right to bring the prince of that place?

Moreover, it’s not like he’s an important hero or needed for a great cause, but just because he’s beautiful.

“Okay, I understand. Continue with your work.”

“Yes…!”

I can bring up the story of that boy when persuading Zeus.

If I talk to Hera as well, it will be easier to persuade Zeus.

As I walked above the clouds while thinking, Poseidon began to appear.

The blue-haired god was drinking nectar next to him, listening to music flowing from a lyre [a stringed instrument, similar to a harp].

I went straight to him and sat next to him.

“Poseidon, I have something to discuss.”

“Hades? What’s going on…”

“I need to divorce Hephaestus and find him a new wife, so lend me some strength in persuading Zeus.”

“Hmm.”

He drank the nectar he was drinking in one gulp and made a sullen expression.

“Why, is it because of what Hephaestus almost did to Athena this time?”

“That’s right. I’m worried that if we keep giving him beautiful goddesses, he might defect to Gaia’s side [Gaia is the primordial goddess of the Earth, and a potential rival to the Olympian gods].”

“Well…”

“Didn’t you instigate Hephaestus? Thanks to you, Athena also got a bit of flak, so show some mercy to your used nephew.”

“If my nephew goes to Gaia’s side, only Zeus’s rule will be questioned, right? Why would I do that?”

Looking at his sly smile, it seems he hasn’t given up on his dream of rebellion yet.

Well, just because he doesn’t like Athena, instigating Hephaestus is…

The more discord there is among the gods, the more Zeus’s rule is questioned.

He didn’t seem interested in the position of king of the gods for a while, but is he dreaming of some strange ambition again?

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this for the sake of that Olympus master position.”

“No, from my point of view, I don’t understand you, Hades, even more. Anyway, I don’t like Zeus very much, so do it yourself.”

“Do you still have thoughts of overturning it?”

“Hmph! If I had the mind to do that, would you be willing to join me?”

The master of the sea grumbled and turned his head.

Hmm. It seems he’s not thinking of starting a rebellion. It’s just a minor annoyance.

Even so, come to think of it, I’m getting annoyed.

Isn’t this guy going to pretend he doesn’t know that he instigated his poor nephew?

He’s always mistreating mortals…

“…Then I’ll try to persuade you differently. Although everyone doesn’t seem to believe that you instigated Hephaestus, what if I acknowledge that it’s true? And thanks to you raping Medusa, she’s now grinding her teeth in the underworld. How about bringing the victim to Olympus and exposing your atrocities? I can’t even count how many human victims have died because of you in the underworld, but if I send just a small portion of them as attendants to the training camp that connects to the mortal realm… your reputation will plummet among the heroes who return to the mortal realm…”

In fact, most of them are things I’m reluctant to do.

It’s impossible because I have to respect the will of Medusa herself and other victims.

And there’s no reason for me to confront Poseidon to that extent…

Actually, if it’s not for the purpose of confrontation… I shouldn’t even be talking about this in the first place. Did my annoyance build up without me knowing while working in the underworld?

There are so many victims in the underworld who are appealing for their grievances because of him…

When I said this, Poseidon’s face turned red, and he slammed the table with his hand and stood up.

Fortunately, he didn’t notice anything strange and moved on because of his quick temper.

If he thinks about it slowly later, he’ll realize it was a bluff…

“Wh- what! Hades, are you trying to threaten me now!”

Blue divine power flickered in his eyes, and the surrounding gazes were focused on this side.

I’ve shown the whip, so it’s time to show the carrot. Don’t get so angry, Poseidon.

“…Why else would I do this? If you help me this time, I’ll let you meet the dead.”

“You can meet your dead children?”

“All of your illegitimate children, even the human women you loved.”

“Cough!”

Poseidon sat back down and looked at me.

Even Zeus cannot interfere with my authority over dead souls.

Semele, the mother of Dionysus and the human woman Zeus accidentally killed.

I even refused Zeus’s request to meet her again.

With very few exceptions, such as the cases of Phaeton and Helios,

The meeting between the dead and the living is a matter directly related to the balance of the world, so it is not allowed even for the gods.

It’s a proposal that works because Poseidon has a lot of affection for his children.

He grumbled and sat down, then picked up the nectar again and poured it into his mouth.

“You. You’re revered as a god of mercy to humans, but you’re very merciless to your brothers.”

“Think of it as your karma being that great. Victims of you come to the underworld periodically.”

“Hmph… because of those human bastards…”

“Hephaestus seems to have given up on Aphrodite too. If we divorce them and get a new wife for your nephew, wouldn’t he reward you in some way?”

Poseidon rolled his eyes and pondered.

He’s calculating the benefits of agreeing to my words and the losses if he refuses.

“…Make sure to tell Hephaestus that you were a great help. You don’t want to incur the resentment of your nephew for no reason, do you?”

“Good. But know that I can’t actively help.”

“That’s enough. Now, let’s go persuade Hera.”

It doesn’t matter if he just shows a sign of agreeing with my opinion.

The fact that my thoughts and Poseidon’s thoughts coincide can change Zeus’s mind.

But when Aphrodite first appeared, I heard that Poseidon also courted her.

He even had a child with Ares and gave up, or maybe he was conscious of Amphitrite, his legal wife…

Poseidon and I moved our seats and headed to Hera, the queen of the gods.

The beautiful goddess, who was applying olive oil to her face inside a moderately large building, was startled when she saw us.

“Hades and Poseidon…? Could it be… a rebellion?!”

“…Misunderstanding.”

She’s thinking about that first.