The Gods' Outing (1)
Today, the Underworld was as dark as ever. I, Hades, paused my work and fell into thought. Lately, whenever I sat upon my throne and listened to the mortal realm, something felt distinctly different.
"Merciful Lord Pluto... I give thanks for your grace once more."
"Grant me the blessing of wealth, O wealthiest of all..."
"Our father who has gone to the Underworld..."
For some reason, the prayers directed at me had increased recently. Not just a slight rise, but it felt as though the entire city of Thebes was offering them up.
A short while ago, I had descended near Thebes and fought on the mountain... Perhaps the aftermath had heightened mortals' fear of death, drawing more prayers my way?
Elsewhere, a wealthy noble had built an altar of wood and knelt before it in reverence. Twenty oxen lay dead upon the altar, and the noble, torch in hand, set it ablaze while crying out.
"Almighty Lord Pluto! I offer you ten bulls and ten cows!"
Even Zeus could not claim omnipotence, and judging by the servants behind him, he had clearly overworked them to present these offerings. Moreover, the oxen sacrificed were either diseased or aged.
With more believers came more strange characters as well. That fellow would not receive a favorable judgment from the three judges of the Underworld, Minos and his brothers.
As I prepared to observe elsewhere, a messenger came running toward me. His face had become familiar by now. Likely a guard stationed near Minos's judgment hall.
"Lord Hades! Another soul has appeared who hasn't lost his memories in the River Lethe!"
"Again...?"
"He's causing a commotion at the judges' hall, claiming injustice..."
Souls bearing tremendous grudges kept appearing. But there was no end to meeting them all, so I considered calling for Lady Lethe...
"The thing is, that soul appears to be the grandson of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes."
"Cadmus's grandson? I'd like to meet him. Bring him here."
Thebes was where my faith had spread widely. It was also the birthplace of the great hero Cadmus, who had essentially saved the world from Typhon. Cadmus had lived a life glorious enough to reach Elysium, yet I couldn't help but wonder what his grandson had endured to retain his memories.
After a short wait, the audience chamber doors opened, and the soul of a tall, handsome young man entered. The moment he saw me, he prostrated himself and spoke in a manner that was quite the spectacle.
"So you're Cadmus's grandson..."
"O merciful god Pluto! I am a human called Actaeon! Please, I beg you, resolve my injustice!"
I had seen many who invoked Pluto, the god of wealth, upon arriving in the Underworld, but why was I being called the god of mercy?
"I am not the god of mercy. What grudge do you hold that makes you act this way?"
"I saw the naked body of the goddess Artemis and was killed for it!"
What? What was he saying? As I stood speechless, Actaeon wailed and shouted.
"I never approached her with ill intent! I would never have dared to spy upon a beautiful goddess's body!"
"...Calm down for now."
* * *
After some time passed, Actaeon regained his composure. In a gloomy tone, he slowly recounted what had happened to him.
"Ever since I was young, I studied under the wise centaur Chiron..."
Chiron, the centaur with a human upper body and equine lower body. Though centaurs were a violent and barbaric race, Chiron was different. Born when Cronus transformed into a horse and raped his own niece, Chiron possessed a gentle and wise nature, excelling in martial arts, music, literature, and many other fields. As his fame grew, it became natural for any human aspiring to become a hero to study under him. That was how Chiron earned the title of teacher of heroes, and it seemed Actaeon had also received his teachings.
"Thanks to Chiron's guidance, I was able to gain some renown as an adventurer."
"I see. So you were Chiron's disciple."
"The day I died... After returning from a grueling adventure, I went hunting in the forests of Cithaeron. But there..."
"Artemis was there?"
"Yes... Artemis and her nymphs were bathing..."
Upon meeting his gaze, Artemis had flown into a rage and placed a curse upon him. Actaeon's body transformed into that of a deer, and he was ultimately chased down and killed by his own hunting hounds.
"I am truly wronged. I knew that Lady Artemis had sworn an oath of virginity, but..."
The reason Artemis had been so furious was the shame of having her divine body exposed to a mere human, and... the fact that the situation had posed a threat to her virginity. Artemis had sworn upon the River Styx to remain a virgin, and showing her naked form to Actaeon had placed that oath in jeopardy. She had killed him to prevent him from spreading rumors about seeing a goddess's body...
"I understand your grievance well enough. I'll speak to Minos and ask that your circumstances be taken into consideration during judgment."
"Yes... Thank you so much for listening. Glory be to the merciful god Pluto..."
There was nothing else to call it but terrible luck. Was this the influence of the curse Ares had placed upon Cadmus's descendants? Actaeon hung his head and sobbed. His situation was truly pitiable, so I supposed I should grant him some small comfort in his afterlife...
* * *
"...And that's what happened."
"Lady Artemis really shows no mercy."
"...How pitiful."
Styx, leaning against my throne at an angle, shook her head. Lethe, seated on the floor and looking up at me, narrowed her eyes slightly.
"By the way, why are you two here?"
"Even we need some time to rest. We've been working so hard, after all."
"I'm not Thanatos..."
Somewhere, a certain god seemed on the verge of bursting into tears and wailing, but I let it pass. They were sitting so close that their soft touches kept brushing against me...
Both of them were gazing at me with expectant eyes, so I forced myself to look away and changed the subject.
"Actaeon called me the god of mercy. I wonder if my divine aspect has been misunderstood among humans..."
"Well, that's because rumors have been spreading through Thebes."
Come to think of it, Lady Lethe often stared blankly at the humans of the mortal world. She sometimes bestowed the blessing of forgetfulness and observed their reactions, making her sensitive to rumors circulating on earth.
"The rumor is that the merciful Lord of the Underworld manifested to save his endangered follower."
"But don't other gods help their followers too?"
Assisting one's worshippers or turning them into constellations was fairly common. That was why humans called upon their gods' names in times of danger.
"Death is something frightening and terrifying, after all. And it's also unavoidable."
"Humans don't even like to mention the Underworld..."
Was it because my actions contradicted the image humans had of me? Still, there weren't many worshippers who sought Hades rather than Pluto...
"But I think the divine aspect of mercy suits Prometheus or Hestia far better."
Prometheus, who had given fire to pitiful humans. Gentle, warm Hestia, guardian of the hearth and home. To call me the god of mercy over them...
As I fell into thought, Styx smiled softly and pressed closer. No, Lady Lethe was doing the same...
"Hehe... Hades, your arms are really firm."
"Then what about here..."
How many souls had arrived in the Underworld today? If I counted one by one the humans Zeus and Poseidon had tormented...
One, two, three.
While I remained frozen and unable to move even an inch, a seductive whisper reached my ears. Styx's soft hair brushed against my shoulder.
"Hades, shall we go up to the mortal world to cool our heads? You've been working so hard lately."
"I'd like that too. The Gigantes won't be invading for a while, so how about we go out without any worries?"
"But I need to stay in the Underworld..."
As I desperately avoided the expectant gazes of the two goddesses while searching for an excuse, my eyes fell upon the silver-haired goddess looking up at me and murmuring softly.
"I've been having a hard time too... Is it not allowed? Ugh..."
"Hic...!"
Her eyes were so clear and blue, her cheeks and ears gradually reddening as if she herself felt embarrassed. Though a god's heart transcended that of humans, in this moment I was not a god but a man.
"I-it's fine... Then let's go out for a while."
...! After all, there were matters I needed to attend to in the mortal world anyway, so going together would work out. The Underworld's systems had been organized enough that the two goddesses could take a short break from work, and more importantly, escaping this awkward situation was what mattered most.
"It's about time I patrolled near Mount Etna, where Typhon's body is buried. Shall we go together?"
Color rose to the goddesses' faces at my words.
"Really? The goddess of oaths heard that, so you can't go back on it!"
"Hehe... We did it, Styx!"
Ah... I had fallen for the goddesses' scheme. As expected of the seasoned gods of the Underworld, persuading me with words and body alike. Well, still...
"Hihi... I'll go change my clothes. Wait just a moment, Hades!"
"Ah. Lethe, I'll go with you!"
This kind of peace wasn't so bad either.