The Temple of Pluto - (2)
The scream echoed through the temple of Hades.
"Kyaaa!.. Haa… haa…"
Phoronea, a priestess of the Hades temple, shot upright from her seat. A splitting headache from the sudden influx of knowledge throbbed in her skull, and a strange new energy pulsed through her body. She snatched up the cup of water beside her and gulped it down, then began sorting through the memories that had been forced into her mind.
First and foremost, her lord Hades expected her to revive the temple and expand its influence. Ultimately, he wanted her help in locating the creatures known as the Gigantes.
She pictured the monsters for a moment and shuddered. Snake-like lower bodies, human upper torsos, enormous frames, and a taste for human flesh. Man-eating giants.
"Ugh…"
The blessings Hades had bestowed upon her were surprisingly numerous. It was similar to how the oracle of Apollo at Delphi entered a trance to deliver prophecies, or how the virgin huntresses received Artemis's favor by swearing to preserve their chastity. She too had been granted a portion of her god’s power.
A blessing of wealth that drew fortune to her without effort. A body and mind far stronger than before. And when she raised her hand, she felt a cold, dark energy coil around her fingers.
I used to envy the priestesses of Lady Hecate…
Hecate, goddess of magic. For any human to wield sorcery, they had to become her priest or devotee. Only then could they receive knowledge of magic and command its mysterious forces.
Even though she served one of the three great gods, she had received no abilities until now. If her god—who had always seemed indifferent to the mortal world—was willing to go this far, just how dangerous were these Gigantes?
Lord Hades… honestly, you’re a little scary.
Finally, he had appointed her as his high priestess, the official representative of the Lord of the Underworld.
Just looking at it, these responsibilities seem far too heavy for someone like me…
Phoronea’s face crumpled. She slumped her shoulders, but as a priestess of Hades she still possessed genuine faith. She was steeling her resolve when a visitor arrived.
It was a young attendant dressed in the ornate yet neat attire of the royal house.
"Are you the priestess of… Hades? No, of Pluto? His Majesty King Polydoros, rightful ruler of Thebes, summons you."
Polydoros, descendant of the great founding hero Cadmus and current monarch of Thebes, clutched his head the moment he saw the priestess of Hades approaching.
When she offered him a respectful bow, he slowly opened his mouth.
"Last night, a being who called himself the god Morpheus appeared in my dream. He said that if I helped revive the temple of Pluto, the kingdom would prosper…"
This was unmistakably a divine oracle. An oracle could be a god conveying their will or a warning, foretelling the fate of a chosen mortal, or even a mortal seeking information from a deity.
"He also told me to speak with the priestess of Pluto."
The previous king of Thebes, Pentheus, had died because of interference from the Olympian gods. Was another god meddling in Thebes again?
Pentheus had perished for persecuting the followers of the newly ascended twelfth Olympian, Dionysus. Dionysus was the god of wine and madness, but Hades…
"So, if I refuse to follow this oracle, what punishment does Pluto intend to inflict? Will he drag every citizen of Thebes down to the Underworld?"
King Polydoros stared at the priestess with a mixture of fear and displeasure. Never had he dreaded words coming from a beautiful woman in black robes more than he did now.
The priestess looked momentarily flustered but answered calmly.
"My lord Hades… spoke only of benefits. He said he would impose no punishment whatsoever."
"No punishment at all?"
Gods were fickle, self-centered, and arrogant. At least, that was what Polydoros believed. Anyone who had experienced what he had would think the same.
The mistake made by the previous king, Pentheus. He had merely imposed a minor restriction on the followers of Dionysus who had been disturbing Thebes.
"Aaaagh! Mother, it’s me! Pentheus!"
"A boar! It’s a boar! Kill it!!!"
"It’s the swine interfering with Lord Dionysus’s festival! Kill it!!!"
"Aaaaaaaaagh!!!"
To have a king torn apart by his own mother driven mad with frenzy—it was a horrifying tragedy. Ever since, everyone in Thebes had been extremely careful not to defy the will of the gods.
No thief would ever dare enter the temple of Hades. No one would dare cast lustful glances at the beautiful priestess standing before him.
So King Polydoros asked once more.
"Don’t lie. Tell me the truth. I intend to follow the will of Pluto anyway."
"It really is the truth. He said that the more worshippers he gains, the more he will bestow blessings of wealth upon Thebes…"
The god who ruled the Underworld was more merciful than the god of wine? Perhaps because everyone eventually became his subjects after death, he showed mercy while they still lived. Or maybe, when he intervened in the mortal world, he acted solely as the god of wealth.
After all, Hades was also the owner of every treasure beneath the earth…
In any case, they had to obey the god’s will, and the chance of Thebes suffering harm seemed low. Though they would have to rely on Pluto’s mercy… they might also receive some of his protection.
After quickly weighing the situation, King Polydoros gave his consent.
"Very well. I understand. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"First, in the name of the royal family…"
In the cold, dark, pitch-black, and terrifying Underworld, I watched the events unfolding in Thebes.
"They say if you pray at the statue of Pluto, you’ll receive a blessing of wealth?"
"That’s what the royal family officially announced. Word is spreading that His Majesty received an oracle."
"Huh… So Pluto is going to protect our Thebes now?"
"Not exactly. It seems he only brings wealth to his worshippers…"
Inside the only temple of Pluto in Thebes, I infused my marble statue with power. So that sincere prayers offered there would grant the worshippers a modest blessing of wealth.
"I prayed at the temple and when I came out, I found a drachma on the ground."
"Pluto’s other name is pretty terrifying, but…"
"Ares won’t get angry if we go there, right?"
"We won’t get dragged to the Underworld for offering a rude prayer, will we?"
More and more people began visiting my lonely temple on the outskirts of Thebes. At first, only merchants seeking the blessing of wealth came, but after the royal proclamation and word-of-mouth spread, ordinary citizens grew curious and started showing up too.
The frequency of offerings from the mortal world increased, and worshippers who experienced the blessing of wealth brought even more people.
"O Pluto, please let my trade caravan to Athens go smoothly."
"I’m heading into the mines soon. Could you tell me where a gold vein might be buried…"
Most of them came for money. Which was exactly what I had intended.
While the name Hades inspired fear, the title Pluto was beloved as the god of wealth. If mortals were wary of one aspect, I simply operated through the other while on the surface.
"O Hades, ruler of the Underworld… I wonder if our parents who passed away last year are doing well…"
"My friend wasn’t exactly a good person, but I still beg for your mercy…"
Occasionally, worshippers came seeking not the god of wealth, but the Lord of the Underworld. Usually those nearing death or who had lost someone to Thanatos’s scythe. Their prayers were far more desperate than those calling upon Pluto.
Sometimes, when I heard a truly earnest prayer, I would have Morpheus let them meet the deceased in a dream. Of course, this only happened under the strict supervision of Morpheus and Hypnos, and most mortals forgot the details upon waking.
"Please…! Just let me see my mother one more time!"
"Sniff… To hear my father’s last words in a dream… Still, it’s a relief to know he’s doing well there."
The number of people returning to my temple because they missed their loved ones grew. Even if they prayed so sorrowfully, it could only happen once per person… Don’t let your heart weaken. Don’t.
From then on, a strange rumor began to spread among humans.
If you wanted to see a dead family member even once more, go to the temple of Pluto…
In the Underworld, inside my office, I watched with satisfaction as the temple’s influence grew stronger by the day.
If the temple’s reach continued to expand at this rate, I would be able to gather information on the Gigantes much faster. In an emergency, I could even descend into the priestess’s body.
If someone prayed about a loved one being killed by a half-human, half-snake monster near Thebes, that would be a clear trace of the Gigantes. Since Priestess Phoronea was doing an excellent job, all I had to do now was wait for one of the information networks I had scattered across the mortal world to catch a Gigantes.
"Hades."
I turned my head. It was Lethe, the goddess with long silver hair. She was pouting as she approached.
What is it this time that she doesn’t like…!
"Hades, I hear you’ve been growing your temple in Thebes lately?"
"That is correct, but…"
Her usually dreamy, unfocused eyes flickered with disappointment.
Don’t tell me she’s sad that there isn’t a statue of her?
"Then why isn’t my statue placed beside yours…?"
It was true that divine couples were sometimes worshipped together in the same temple, but… we aren’t married, are we?
Lethe parted her lips slightly and stared at my face. The words that slipped from her beautiful mouth were barely a whisper.
"I want… to stand beside you too…"
When she looks at me with those wet, pitiful eyes like a small animal caught in the rain… it really does a number on my heart.