The Story of Pluto's Temple - (1)

After countless ages had passed, I sat in my office in the Underworld. As the Lord of the Dead, I was once again judging souls and carefully selecting those worthy of entering Elysium. A servant approached, clearly bearing a message for me.

"Lord Hades, in the Underworld right now..."

"Send him in."

The one who entered was an elderly soul whose golden hair was fading to white with age. I recognized him at a single glance.

"We have a most honored guest in the Underworld."

"D-do you know me...?"

The first human hero to deceive Typhon and steal Zeus's sinews, the founder of Thebes, the slayer of Ares's monstrous son Drakon Ismenios, and the man who endured eight years of servitude before earning Ares's forgiveness and marrying his daughter Harmonia. The great hero Cadmus now knelt before me, trembling.

"As expected, your memories vanished after crossing the River Lethe. Mnemosyne, please bring a little water from the Pool of Memory."

"Understood, Hades. For Cadmus, it should be fine."

Mnemosyne, the Goddess of Memory. When the dead drink from the River Lethe and cross over to my fortress, they lose all memories of their mortal lives. But if they drink from the Pool of Memory, which holds the opposite power, those memories return. Of course, exceptionally strong-willed souls with powerful grudges sometimes retain their memories even after drinking from Lethe... In any case, the goddess who presides over that Pool of Memory was the one who had just left—Mnemosyne. She was also the mother who had spent nine nights with Zeus and given birth to the Muses, the goddesses who preside over learning and the arts.

Cadmus drank the water drawn from the Pool of Memory, and his recollections gradually returned. The hazy, confused look in his eyes sharpened, revealing the dignified bearing of a true hero once more.

"Ah... Lord Hades. It has been a very long time."

"Indeed it has. I was too busy to attend your wedding to Harmonia."

Having recovered all his memories, he smiled gently and bowed. Just as he had when we first met.

"It is quite all right. You are the master of the Underworld, after all. You must always be busy."

"Were you not disappointed that I could not come to the wedding?"

"Haha... It would have been an even greater honor if you had."

"Hmph. You've grown older, but your flattery has only improved."

The reason I had restored Cadmus's memories of his mortal life was simple. I wanted to hear from the great hero himself—someone who had stood boldly before Typhon—what he thought of the life he had lived.

"What do you think of the life you led in the mortal world?"

"What do you mean...?"

I continued with a slightly bitter expression.

"The curse of misfortune you received as punishment for killing Ares's son, Ismenios."

"Ah..."

"I, too, lament the tragedies that befell the royal house of Thebes that you founded. Though even Ares himself came to regret it..."

Once a curse was cast, not even a god could undo it. I had heard that Ares deeply regretted placing that curse on Cadmus even as he gave him his daughter. It was the first time a human had married a goddess, yet the ending had been anything but happy. In the end, Cadmus and his wife had chosen to transform themselves into snakes and die, unable to bear the endless tragedies that befell their descendants because of the curse of misfortune.

"If only we had become snakes..."

"Father Ares... do not leave my husband alone. Change me as well... turn me into a snake too."

Cadmus fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. This hero had accomplished one glorious feat after another, only to be driven to misfortune by the gods. Would he resent the deities who had kidnapped his sister, cursed him, and ultimately caused the tragedies that led him and his wife to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠choose death?

"I am not one who fails to recognize the grace he has been given."

His answer was different from what I had expected. After a pause, he spoke again.

"Lord Ares's curse... I can understand why he did it. What parent could forgive the one who killed their son?"

"I see."

"Rather, I am grateful for the mercy he showed by limiting my punishment to a mere eight years and even giving me his daughter. And..."

Just like when we first met, these were not lies spoken out of fear of punishment, but the truth. Even after a life that ended in misfortune and death itself, his spirit remained noble.

"Thanks to that, I was able to meet the wife who followed me even into unavoidable death."

Harmonia was the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares, the Goddess of Harmony. Unlike the monstrous Drakon Ismenios, she possessed true divine immortality, yet she had willingly chosen to follow Cadmus into death.

"The tragedies that befell our descendants were my own fault as well. Whom could I possibly blame? Ruling Thebes alongside my wife was enjoyable in its own way. The remnants of Typhon we discovered midway were a bit troublesome, but..."

"Remnants of Typhon? Did they resemble him in appearance?"

"Yes. They were much smaller, but they had the lower body of a serpent and the upper body of a human—exceptionally powerful monsters. It took considerable effort to slay one."

Lower body of a serpent, upper body of a human. And the fact that even Cadmus—who had slain the Drakon—had struggled against it. My expression gradually hardened. Could it truly be a remnant of Typhon... or was it something else? Something I knew all too well.

"However, since no more remnants were found after that incident, I did not report it to the gods... Lord Hades?"

There was a possibility it had been a Gigantes.

"Where exactly did you encounter that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠monster?"

"Ah... I was taking a walk near Thebes when I heard strange sounds and followed them to a cave. The creature was inside."

Cadmus said he had seen a massive half-human, half-serpent monster devouring people there. He had drawn his sword and fought, but even the hero who had defeated the Drakon had struggled considerably. Not all Gigantes possessed equal strength. The one Cadmus had faced must have been one he could barely handle. Perhaps it had been hiding in that cave, beyond the sight of the Olympian gods. If our ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grandmother, the Earth Mother Gaia, had used her full power to conceal the locations of the Gigantes, even Demeter might not have noticed. Though Demeter was the Goddess of the Earth, her power was clearly beneath Gaia's. Unlike when we overthrew the Titans, the advantage of the first strike now lay with them. It was possible this was a deliberate trap to lure the gods in, or perhaps the independent action of a few individuals.

Still, I needed Mnemosyne to confirm whether it truly was a Gigantes.

"Mnemosyne, please examine Cadmus's memories for a moment."

"Very well. Close your eyes for a while."

The Goddess of Memory placed her hand on Cadmus's head and read his memories. Before long, she looked at me with a grave expression and nodded. Damn it. So it really was a Gigantes.

"I see... In any case, in recognition of your achievements in life, you are granted entry to Elysium."

"Ah... Elysium... Thank you, Lord Hades!"

"The same goes for your wife. Live happily together in that paradise."

It was the moment the first residents were born in the paradise of the Elysian Fields. He would live there peacefully with his beloved wife for all eternity.

I had enjoyed my long-awaited conversation with Cadmus, but my heart remained uneasy. A Gigantes had appeared in Thebes—one that my Underworld soldiers had failed to detect...? Yet I did not have the luxury of wandering the mortal world in search of them myself. I could not abandon my duties in the Underworld to roam the living realm. In that case, I would have to follow the example of Apollo, who interfered in the mortal world through his own temple.

But unlike Apollo—who possessed every talent imaginable and could even deliver prophecies—who would willingly worship the Underworld? In truth, Apollo was widely revered in the mortal world, and his temple on the island of Delphi was famous. My own temples in the living world, however, existed in only one place: Thebes. It was the temple Cadmus had built in his kingdom out of gratitude for our connection.

"Contact Olympus and report that traces of the Gigantes have been discovered. Also, bring Morpheus to me."

"Yes!"

A short while later, Morpheus arrived after hearing the message from one of the soul soldiers.

"What is the matter, Lord Hades? If I have done something wrong..."

"I am not here to reprimand you for occasionally giving humans nightmares as a hobby."

He made a startled face. Did he really think I wouldn't know? Still, that was not the issue at hand, so I let it pass.

"I need you to help me with something."

Thebes, the nation founded by the great hero Cadmus. The single temple of Hades in Thebes—and indeed the only one in the entire world. One would expect it to be overflowing with humans seeking the protection of the three great gods, yet...

"Haaaaawn~"

The place was completely deserted, with only flies buzzing about. Pharona, the priestess of Hades's temple, sat with an expression of utter boredom. There were no visitors. People avoided the priests of the Underworld, and the only advantage of becoming a servant of Hades was that no one dared pick a fight with her. She was a maiden of marriageable age and one of the ten most beautiful women in the city, yet even the toughest ruffians who dominated the pankration fights wouldn't so much as glance at her, let alone flirt.

"Haa... I'm so bored..."

They were probably terrified of the consequences of touching a priestess of Hades and being dragged down to the Underworld. Because of the god's fearsome reputation, the temple itself had become an object of unease.

"Why am I so sleepy in the middle of the day...?"

Though the temple had been built by order of Thebes's founding king, the great Cadmus, it was far too quiet. So quiet that no one would notice if the sole priestess fell into an unnatural slumber.

When Pharona opened her eyes again, she was no longer in the temple. She stood in a space filled with absolute darkness where she could not even see an inch in front of her. As a priestess who had received advanced education, she quickly assessed the situation and prostrated herself.

"I do not know which god you are, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but do you have a command for this humble mortal?"

She had thought she had fallen asleep, but when she opened her eyes she was in another world. Her mind was clear and her body moved freely—this could not be an ordinary dream. A god had clearly intervened. Yet she did not believe it was the Hades she served. Her lord had remained silent for far too long.

A low, icy male voice echoed from somewhere within the darkness.

Her body froze in fear. Her vision went black once more. The last thing she felt was a torrent of knowledge violently pouring into her mind before she awoke from the dream.