The Weight of the Underworld's Laws

"Persephone, do you understand what it means to eat the food of the Underworld?"

"Eek?! Was I not supposed to? I'm sorry..."

Persephone's face instantly fell, her bright expression turning gloomy. The Underworld was an entirely different realm from the living world, so it had its own set of rules. Those rules were neatly recorded on a parchment infused with divine power and stored away safely... but the relevant one was right here.

The clause that applied to Persephone was precisely that last one—Article 5, Section 3. It didn't mean she could never leave the Underworld, but it did mean she would have to make this realm her permanent home. This law bound even the gods, which was why the deities temporarily stationed here never touched the food. Neither Athena, nor Ares, nor Aphrodite had eaten anything during their time in the Underworld.

"Haa... Whoever eats the food of the Underworld must live here."

"Oh? Is that so? Then does that mean I'll be living with Uncle from now on?"

Having been struck by Eros's golden arrow, Persephone didn't seem the least bit displeased. But what would Demeter and Zeus think? Wait a second. No matter how young she was—having lived less than three hundred years—could she really not have known the laws of the Underworld? Had she eaten it on purpose? The position of mistress of the Underworld naturally came with immense power and authority. For someone struck by a golden arrow, the temptation must have been even stronger...

"...For now, follow me. And don't leave my sight."

"Yes!"

It would be better if I just kept her with me.

* * *

And so I took her along while handling my duties.

"For you, who lost your chastity and were driven out from among Artemis's followers only to meet your death..."

"...Glory to the God of Mercy... Thank you, Pluto."

While I listened to the circumstances of these wronged souls and racked my brain to render the fairest possible judgments, Persephone watched with a face full of questions. Once I'd finished the backlog of trials, she approached me.

"Uncle Hades. Why are you so lenient with humans?"

"Lenient?"

"Yes. It seems like you show mercy even to humans who insult the gods or act arrogantly."

Her eyes were filled with pure curiosity, not sarcasm or complaint. It was exactly the sort of question a young goddess raised without hardship beneath a high-ranking deity would ask. The immense power of divine energy and authority, the pride of maintaining the world's balance, the sense of superiority over fragile mortals—this wasn't a problem unique to Persephone. Most gods probably thought the same way, but...

"...It's better to discard such thoughts."

"Huh...? What?!"

"The Underworld is the place that marks the final end of mortals, their ultimate destination. If I were cruel to them, what would happen?"

"But aren't we gods beings who are meant to be worshipped by them? If I simply stopped using my power over spring, humans would..."

Young gods, despite their innocence, possessed tremendous power. Sometimes they appeared cruel and capricious to mortals. Having been revered from birth with both the ability and bloodline to command such respect, Persephone would be even more prone to that mindset. Demeter and Zeus often showed harshness toward humans as well... It seemed she took quite a bit after her parents.

"...How very like the goddess who rules one of the seasons."

"I'm the goddess of spring and seeds, though...?"

"That's not what I meant. Simply put... your smallest actions can appear as natural disasters to humans."

I continued speaking while meeting her puzzled gaze. I hoped that what I'd seen and felt in the Underworld might help her even a little.

"We gods are not perfect beings. Even Zeus or Athena can make mistakes."

"Father and the Goddess of Wisdom too?"

"There is no such thing as a perfect god. Therefore, you must be cautious about using your power on a whim or after only brief consideration."

"Have you... ever regretted anything, Uncle Hades, one of the Three Great Gods?"

"...More times than I can count."

After living for so long, how could I show only a flawless side? No matter how much I was called the God of Mercy or the fair and just Lord of the Underworld...

"There were times I regretted handing down wrong judgments by mistake, and times I was swept up in momentary emotion."

"Ah..."

"When you become angry, the mortals who die in the aftermath might seem insignificant to you, but..."

"......"

"Remember that to them, it is an unavoidable catastrophe. Those wronged souls who die unjustly are the ones who come here to the Underworld."

Persephone, who had been quietly pondering my words, suddenly let her free-spirited divine power surge wildly. Had she gained some realization about her role, some sense of responsibility for the domain she governed?

"We gods cannot always succeed, but we must strive to make the right judgments as much as possible."

"...I've never heard anything like this from Mother..."

Persephone murmured softly while staring at the floor. At that moment, I felt her grow—just a little. The lively, energetic power that had defined her seemed to settle into something calmer and more orderly. The spring she ruled among the four seasons would become a little more stable, and the seeds sown in the earth would grow well.

"For now, I'll assign you temporary quarters. And about this matter with your mother..."

"Hades! It's an emergency! Right now in the Underworld..."

The goddess Styx burst through the door and rushed toward me. Had the Gigantes launched another attack?

"In the Underworld... the soul of the deceased Chiron has arrived!"

* * *

Chiron. The wise centaur with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse. Skilled in all manner of arts and possessing vast knowledge, his greatest strength had always been in education. He was the one who had raised countless heroes in the living world. If Chiron had died, it would become difficult to train the prophesied hero capable of defeating the Gigantes.

"I'll go see him immediately. But wasn't he an immortal being...?"

"That's the thing... He was tortured by the Gigantes who suddenly invaded, and he chose to give up his immortality!"

"This is..."

The Gigantes who had come for Typhon beneath Mount Etna had only numbered in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hundreds. To think they would split their forces and resort to killing Chiron... After what they did to corrupt Oedipus last time, it seemed Gaia was clearly targeting the heroes. Could she have learned of the prophecy we gods knew? No. If she had grasped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it completely, she would have launched an all-out war immediately. She must have only guessed that heroes were connected to the Gigantes, nothing more. It was fortunate she didn't possess the ability to see all futures. Well, even Prometheus didn't have that kind of power...

For now, I hurried to meet Chiron together with Persephone and the goddess Styx. Yes, my niece, it's better that you stay where I can see you.

Soon, I saw Chiron's translucent soul form. He really had died and come to the Underworld...

"Chiron."

"Lord Hades. It's been a long time. Though I regret that we meet again under these circumstances."

When I spoke, the centaur lowered his head with a bitter expression.

"I heard the Gigantes tortured you. Rest easy here."

"...I feel guilty for failing to properly raise heroes and fleeing into death."

"When monsters comparable to gods set their minds to torture, who could possibly endure it?"

"Thank you, Lord of the Underworld. Those who... my students that I taught..."

Thanks to Chiron's fame, which had spread across the entire world, the place where he stayed had always been crowded with people hoping to become heroes. But the Gigantes who suddenly invaded had massacred countless people. Chiron and his disciples had resisted, but they couldn't overcome monsters that rivaled lesser gods. According to him, many of his students had been slaughtered or forced to flee.

"Only after coming to the Underworld did I learn that the gods Dionysus and Ares descended and drove the creatures away."

"Mm... While you were still in the living world, Corinth and Athens were attacked as well."

"It seems they appeared in all sorts of places."

"The Olympian gods descended and killed the Gigantes, but the damage was still considerable..."

"Rather than killing ordinary humans, they tried to destroy temples and sever the connection between mortals and gods. They charged at any hero or demigod they saw."

After Chiron finished speaking, Thanatos and the other gods added further explanations. So they had attacked human cities including Corinth and Athens...

"Many heroes died this time."

"Athena hurriedly descended to the lower world, but her temple was half-destroyed."

"What does Olympus think about this incident..."

I raised my hand to silence the gods who were exchanging opinions.

"The goddess of the rainbow will descend and summon me to the Olympian palace. Until then, we'll maintain our usual vigilance."

"Shouldn't we prepare at least a little?"

"We have Demeter, don't we?"

"Ah... The Goddess of the Earth has the Omphalos stone, so she must have located the Gigantes' base by now!"

The Gigantes' latest assault had succeeded in killing Chiron, but in exchange, they had revealed their base to us. Demeter would surely have informed Zeus, and right now countless gods would be watching the Gigantes' stronghold. The Gigantes could no longer launch surprise attacks while evading the eyes of the gods. All that remained for them was all-out war or Gaia's schemes.

* * *

Persephone had been quietly watching with sparkling eyes the entire time, never once interrupting. At least she didn't disturb me while I was working. Had my earlier words affected her?

The goddess ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lethe tilted her head as she looked at Persephone and asked,

"Hades, who is that goddess who's been here since earlier? She doesn't seem to be a lesser deity..."

"Ah, I'm Persephone!"

I didn't want to be accused of secretly bringing a goddess down to the Underworld, so I had to explain in advance. Staying silent would only invite needless misunderstandings.

"She's the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, whom I met near Mount Etna. For your information, she was struck by Eros's golden arrow upon seeing me, and she also ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ate the food of the Underworld."

"What?!"

"Eros's golden arrow... then that means..."

"Does Demeter know about this?"

"I'll go up to Olympus soon and explain it myself."

The expressions of the many gods gathered here changed at once. There was nothing I could do even if they looked at me that way. I'd only brought her along briefly because I had to receive urgent reports about Gigantes attacks elsewhere besides Mount Etna, and...

"I was perfectly fine even after being hit by the golden arrow!"

"Yes, yes."

"Ugh... It's true! You saved me before I was hit by the arrow, so take responsibility!"

"...What?"

"No... Hades... Why do you keep adding more goddesses every time you go out?"

"Before it increases any further..."

The entire room hurriedly turned to look at the goddesses Styx and Lethe. I also saw Mente, who had arrived late through the office door, freeze in place. As everyone stiffened, Persephone suddenly teared up and cried out.

"Lord Hades, you touched me so gently back then! I won't forget it! Please take responsibility!"

"W-what did you say?"

"Wait, have I gotten old and my ears are failing? Should I go see Apollo...?"

"Who touched what?"

"Hades...! What did you do?!"

Why is everyone looking at me like this? This is a misunderstanding... Persephone, even as you've taken a step forward as a goddess, that lively spring-like personality of yours remains completely unchanged...!

"Niece... In the situation where you were being strangled by a Gigantes, I merely held your side to help you down from the chariot, and you're making it sound like..."

"T-that's exactly it! I want to marry Lord Hades!"

"Hades. You really didn't touch her except for helping her down from the chariot, right?"

"This isn't the time to worry about the Gigantes! Hurry up and explain everything..."

"L-Lord Hades... I'm fine even as a concubine, but if there are too many..."

The Underworld had always been full of incidents, but lately it felt especially so. Had Gaia placed some kind of curse on us?

"Lord Hades. The goddess of the rainbow, Iris, has arrived. She was probably dispatched from Olympus regarding the Gigantes..."

"...! Let her in immediately."

She must have come to invite me to the meeting at the Olympian palace. We needed to discuss the Gigantes, and I had to figure out how to explain things to Demeter. Amid the noisy Underworld, the goddess of the rainbow Iris arrived.

"I greet the Lord of the Under—"

Iris, who had been entering, suddenly stopped speaking. She looked around at the situation with wide eyes. Watching her, the god of inevitable death, Moros, spoke as if it were nothing special. He had been leaning against the wall of the office with his arms crossed the entire time.

"Ah, Iris. Don't be alarmed. It's the usual scenery of the Underworld."

"Lord Moros, what in the world is going on..."

"It's really nothing. It's simply the sight of Demeter and Zeus's daughter being struck by Eros's golden arrow, seeing Hades, eating the food of the Underworld, and now quarreling with the three goddesses who love him."

"What? Whose daughter did you say?"

The goddess of the rainbow's face turned deathly pale, and the seven-colored halo that always shone behind her began to fade.