Persephone's Epilogue
After Persephone and Eros came to the Underworld, the welfare of the gods who originally worked here improved dramatically. Of course, this included Eros, who spent day and night drawing his bow and torturing the worst criminals… but the real surprise was Persephone. She showed an astonishing level of enthusiasm in helping with the Underworld’s tasks.
The Goddess of Spring, who was clumsy at the work she was doing for the first time in her life, yet still tried her hardest to assist the other gods. Simply being in love with me didn’t seem like enough of a reason, so I decided to approach her directly and ask.
As I drew closer to the area where the gods in charge of paperwork worked, I soon heard sounds of suffering. It was common to see gods carrying armfuls of parchment, and some hurried past without even noticing me.
They’re all really struggling, huh…
Standing out among them was a goddess with long, golden hair. My niece sat at a long desk, slowly turning over a mountain of parchment while her quill danced across the pages. It was hard to believe she was the vibrant Goddess of Spring; the atmosphere around her felt almost decadent…
“Persephone.”
“Ah, Uncle Hades…! Just a moment. I’ll finish processing the documents that came up from the residential district for the souls…”
“...Alright.”
I was honestly a little taken aback. Her golden eyes were dripping with clear regret, yet she still turned her gaze back to the paperwork. Just why was she doing this?
Ding— Ding— Ding—
After some time passed, the mountain of parchment had noticeably shrunk, and a short break arrived. Even in the Underworld, we didn’t make them work without any rest at all. We gods were immortal and didn’t need to eat, but thanks to memories from my previous life of taking breaks for lunch and dinner, we rang the bell at regular intervals to give the Underworld some leisure time.
Of course, that didn’t apply quite the same way to Charon, Thanatos, or the worst criminals…
“Hup. Lord Hades?! When did you…!”
“Perhaps… Ah. Have you come to see Lady Persephone?”
Only then did the gods who finally noticed me try to show proper respect, but I waved them off and looked at Persephone. The other gods tactfully left the room, and I spoke to the goddess.
“Did someone… force you to work in the Underworld?”
“What? No?”
“Then why… are you going this far? You’re the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, so I was planning to make things easier for you…”
“Pfft… but a goddess who’s clumsy at her duties isn’t to Uncle Hades’ taste, right? I’m just doing my best!”
What on earth was she talking about? Since when was being a workaholic part of my taste…
Persephone puffed out her chest as if emphasizing something and continued.
“I heard that Goddess Styx and that minor goddess named Mente did the same thing?”
“...?”
“They say if you can’t even handle this much, you won’t even get a glance. All the goddesses aiming for Uncle Hades…”
Why were such rumors spreading? It wasn’t as if I could go around correcting every single goddess one by one…
“In the first place, your job is to periodically infuse power into the outer regions of the Underworld, so you can rest without any—”
“It’s different! That’s a reward, but this is a competition!”
“...?”
“Hmph~ Hmph~ It’s a small thing, so you don’t need to worry about it, Uncle. Hehe!”
Ding— Ding— Ding—
“Ah, it’s time to work again! See you later this evening!”
Something about it felt strangely ominous, so I didn’t press her any further.
“...Then leave this one with Goddess Mnemosyne… Is there anything else that requires my approval?”
“That was the last item, Lord Hades.”
“Good. Morpheus, you should head back and rest as well. You’ll have to suffer again starting tomorrow…”
Creak.
After finishing the day’s work and about to take a short rest, the door to the audience chamber opened slightly, and a goddess entered. It was my niece, Persephone, whom I had visited earlier.
“Neither Goddess Styx… nor Lady Lethe is here… Hehe!”
“...Persephone?”
She had brought dates and figs—the kind mortals in the living world ate as snacks. With a silly smile on her face, Persephone plopped down on the floor beside the throne.
“Uncle, if you don’t have anything to do, would you talk with me?”
“But isn’t it about time for you to return to the living world?”
The time promised with Demeter had arrived. In fact, it seemed a little overdue…
“I like the Underworld too… I don’t want to go! I want to stay just a little longer…!”
My niece puffed out her cheeks and whined cutely. Still, she really should head back before it got too late. I wondered if her mother was worried.
Thanks to her, the work in the Underworld had become much easier over the past few months, so giving her a little more time wasn’t a big deal… Well, if we just chatted for a while, she would probably leave on her own, right?
“A short while should be fine…”
“Hehe… Then, Uncle, would you like to hear my story first? When I was in the living world…”
Stories about betting with the nymphs near Mount Etna… cheerful conversations guessing about the gods… stories about her mother, who was also my sister, Demeter… Through them, I learned a bit more about Persephone. To think she had surprisingly refined hobbies like weaving and watching plays…
“Um… I’ve been talking too much about myself. Uncle, tell me some stories too!”
“...?”
“Like what kind of appearance you find attractive in a goddess, or what you think is charming to the opposite sex…”
I turned my head away from her sparkling eyes. What was this girl even saying…
“There’s nothing like that.”
“...Tch. Then tell me an old story! You’ve lived for so long, so you must know tons of them…”
Living long isn’t necessarily a good thing… but as you said, I do know quite a few stories.
Starting from the tales of my father, Cronus, who existed from the beginning of time…
“Have you…”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever climbed to the summit of Mount Olympus?”
“Uh… just once! Mom didn’t take me there very often…”
“...I still can’t forget that scenery.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, recalling the past. Persephone didn’t speak and simply waited quietly.
A very long time ago, the moment I was born and first climbed to the summit of Mount Olympus… the first time I felt the desire to live in this world for a long, long time…
The reason we fought so fiercely in the war against the Titan gods. The reason we all sought to claim dominion over the world was that very ambition.
Even now, the reason everyone coveted the sky that Zeus rules was the same. Yes, that omnipotent feeling of looking down upon everything from those lofty heights…
Remembering that time, I told Persephone stories of the past.
“Wow… even Uncle Hades, whom everyone calls detached, had a time like that.”
“I did back then. After ruling the Underworld, I gradually came to like this place.”
While reminiscing about the old days and talking with Persephone, quite a bit of time had passed. Wasn’t it really time for her to go now? My dear niece?
Just as I was thinking that, the door to the audience chamber opened and a messenger came running in.
“Lord Hades! The Goddess of the Earth, Lady Demeter, has come to take Lady Persephone back!”
Demeter came herself? Even if her daughter was returning to the living world a little late… it didn’t seem like something that would make the Goddess of the Earth move personally.
“She must have something to say to me directly. Guide her to the audience chamber.”
Hearing that, Persephone quietly rose from her seat. I see, so she plans to slip away quietly before her mother arrives.
“Uh… um… Well then, Uncle Hades, you seem busy with work, so I’ll be going now… Hehe…”
“If you don’t want to get scolded by Demeter, make sure you return to the living world on time next time…”
Not long after she headed to the living world, the guest arrived. With a deliberately cold, expressionless face, a glamorous appearance, and beautiful hair in shades of light brown and gold—the Goddess of the Earth, Demeter, had come to the Underworld.
“Hades, my daughter…”
“She ran away because she didn’t want to hear a scolding from you. She’s probably already back in the living world by now.”
“...I see.”
As expected, Demeter’s expression didn’t change. Even after hearing that her daughter wasn’t here, she simply stared at me. It looked like she had something to say.
The Goddess of the Earth moved her divine power to block out sound from the surroundings and spoke in a low voice. Demeter, who had been looking me in the eye just moments ago, slightly turned her head to the side.
“...Do you know why I’m so overprotective of Kore?”
I could sense a faint sadness in her subdued voice, so I didn’t bother answering. As if she hadn’t expected a reply, she continued.
“My daughter, Kore, is too beautiful. Anyone who has seen her face even once cannot help but praise her appearance.”
Just as Hephaestus had said before, Persephone possessed an incredibly beautiful appearance. The only goddess who could clearly surpass her in beauty was the Goddess of Beauty and Love, Aphrodite. Unless it was a goddess who ruled over beauty itself, there were almost none who could compare to Persephone’s looks.
Demeter spoke again, her voice sinking even lower.
“In this land of Greece, being called beautiful is…”
“Yes, it is a curse, not a blessing. I know that well.”
In Greece, where rape, adultery, and vile tricks and deceptions to form relationships were rampant… beauty was not a blessing, but a curse. Even Aphrodite had been forced into an unwanted marriage because of her beauty.
Persephone found her mother’s excessive protectiveness stifling, but if it weren’t for Demeter, it wouldn’t have been strange if she had already suffered something terrible.
“The number of those who cast lustful glances at my daughter was uncountable. Even though I am her mother and her father is Zeus.”
“Because Persephone is beautiful.”
“In that situation, it wouldn’t have been strange for anything to happen. I was always worried about her.”
Even the King of the Gods, Zeus, and Demeter herself could not stay by Persephone’s side at all times.
“...At least until the rumor spread that the Lord of the Underworld had fallen for my daughter at first sight and kidnapped her to the underground world.”
One of the reasons I kept Persephone in the Underworld had come from Demeter’s own mouth. Among the humans of the living world, the rumor had spread that I had been struck by Eros’s arrow, fallen for my niece, and kidnapped her. Yet I had deliberately not corrected the false rumor.
The more it became known that I loved her…
“Hades. Thanks to you, those who approached Kore have disappeared. There was no fool brave enough to touch someone the Lord of the Underworld had set his eyes on.”
When she turned her head back to look at me, her eyes were filled with gratitude.
“I know you are different from the other male gods who are mad with lust. Since Kore has maintained her purity until now…”
“......”
“I don’t know if you and that child will eventually marry, but if that day comes, please take good care of Kore.”
It was not a request from the Goddess of the Earth, but from a mother with a daughter. I glanced at Demeter’s eyes as she waited for an answer and spoke.
“...Don’t worry.”
“I must return to the living world now. Please keep today’s conversation a secret from Kore.”