The King of the Underworld is Tired

Recently, Gaia has been unusually quiet.

Could it be because the aspiring heroes who had gathered in Thebes returned to the mortal world after finishing their training, slaying monsters along the way?

Maybe the reason for giving those heroes items imbued with Dionysus’s power was to keep them from falling into Gaia’s madness.

Chiron also seemed conscious of it and paid a lot of attention to their mental training.

“Hades, Demeter and Persephone are at the entrance to the Underworld.”

“Has Persephone’s time to visit already come… Let them in.”

A messenger approached and reported that Persephone’s time to come to the Underworld had arrived.

After a short wait, the door to the audience chamber opened, and the two goddesses entered.

The stern-looking Demeter and the golden-haired girl running toward me…

“Uncle Hades! I missed you!”

She hugged me.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should avoid her, but... seeing Demeter’s gaze, I just hugged her back.

Seeing me accepting her daughter, her expression softened again.

After all that fuss in the past...

“Oh? You’re hugging me more readily now? Hehe…”

“It’s been a while, Persephone. All right, step aside for a moment.”

I gently set her down beside me as she smiled brightly, and turned my gaze to Demeter.

The goddess of the earth crossed her arms, and upon making eye contact with me, finally spoke.

“Hades, you must have received word from Olympus.”

“If you’re talking about the letter saying Hephaestus caused some trouble and should be sent to the Underworld for a while, then yes.”

I took out the letter, handwritten by Zeus, that had been sent to the Underworld.

Anyone could tell it was written in anger, given the messy handwriting.

“Brother Hades, did you mention being very busy in the Underworld? Hephaestus caused great trouble, and I’d like him to be kept in the Underworld for a while…”

Though I had no idea what happened, an extra hand in the busy Underworld was welcome.

I readily sent a reply to Olympus agreeing to the request, but...

“So, Demeter, is this why you came all the way down to the Underworld in person?”

“It’s because of the incident! That wretch tried to rape Athena, failed, and got Gaia pregnant!”

“What nonsense are you spouting, Demeter?!”

What’s this now…

* * *

The story Demeter told me went as follows:

Athena had visited Hephaestus’s forge in the Olympian palace.

The goddess of wisdom went to ask the god of smithing to make her some high-quality weapons.

She had been furious recently after her temple was attacked by a Chimera.

But then…

“Hephaestus, could you perhaps make me a shield and a spear—”

“Huff… Athena!”

Hephaestus, abandoned by Aphrodite and frustrated from his solitude, attempted to rape Athena upon seeing her beauty.

However, Athena is not only the goddess of wisdom but also a goddess of war…

“Ugh!”

“What?! Ugh!”

Boom!

Athena lifted Hephaestus and threw him.

But from the impact, Hephaestus's semen splashed onto Athena's thigh...

And she wiped it off and discarded it onto the earth.

“So, Gaia, the Earth Mother, gave birth to Hephaestus’s child, and Athena is temporarily taking care of that child?”

“Yes, exactly! And that wretch, just like his father, even attempted to violate a virgin goddess…”

It’s likely not the attempted rape of Athena that has Zeus in such a rage and sending Hephaestus to the Underworld.

We are in conflict with Gaia, the Earth Mother, at the moment.

Who knows what she might do now that she’s suddenly given birth to her great-great-grandson's child?

A needless provocation, or rather insult, to a powerful adversary... an act of violation?

Although not exactly an enemy, Gaia is still the grandmother of both Demeter and me, which is why we’d used honorifics for her.

And now, she’s had a child with my nephew, Hephaestus...

“Hmph! So you understand why I came all the way here, don’t you? If Hephaestus comes down to the Underworld…”

“Yeah, yeah... He won’t be able to go near Persephone.”

Thanks to Demeter speaking up, I was able to pull myself away from my spiraling thoughts.

She came to ask me to keep the god of smithing away from her daughter, as well as to escort Persephone.

Wait a minute, if Gaia got pregnant from Hephaestus's semen splashing on the earth…

Don’t we also have an earth goddess? Like Demeter right in front of me.

I glanced at Demeter’s belly, but she didn’t look pregnant at all.

Still, it’d be better to hear it from her directly, just in case.

“But aren’t you also an earth goddess? Are you...”

“Argh! I didn’t fully possess the authority over the earth! Do you really need me to say that out loud?!”

“…I apologize.”

Demeter blushed furiously and huffed for a while before leaving the Underworld.

Persephone, who learned the truth about her cousin, the god of smithing, approached me with a mischievous look.

She climbed gently onto my lap, where I sat on my throne.

Hmm. Compared to Aphrodite, her attempt is rather clumsy…

“Hehe! Lord Hades! If Lady Gaia is having Uncle Hephaestus’s child, then it’s fine for us too, isn’t it?”

“…Your mother should see you right now…”

Why does she call Hephaestus "uncle"?

He’s her half-brother... or cousin… Ugh, my head hurts just thinking about it.

“Hehe… Haven’t you missed me?! I think of you every day, Lord Hades!”

Why have you dropped the “uncle” now, niece?

And please... don’t rub yourself against my arm like that.

* * *

Persephone was sent to her chambers, and after some time, two gods visited the Underworld.

"Uncle Hades, it's been a while since I last saw you."

"Greetings…"

One of them was Hephaestus, a muscular god whose wrists were bound, looking rather downcast, while the other was the moon goddess, Artemis, who appeared to be making sure he didn’t try to run away.

Artemis was periodically glaring at Hephaestus with clear disdain. It seemed that the incident had spread throughout Olympus, and most of the gods probably knew about it.

"I've heard what happened. Artemis, you may now return."

"Ah, also..."

"Did Zeus have a message for me?"

Artemis' sharp voice filled the audience hall, her face stern. No wonder—Athena, who had sworn chastity by the River Styx just like her, was almost raped, and it probably felt all too personal for her.

"Yes, Father said to tell you, 'Feel free to work Hephaestus as hard as you wish.'"

Hephaestus's face grew even gloomier.

Still, wasn’t this all his own doing?

"Tell Zeus I understand. You may leave now."

"Understood, Uncle."

Before leaving, Artemis shot one last sharp look at the sulking smith god. He simply avoided her gaze without any resistance, apparently overwhelmed by guilt.

"...Hmph!"

Artemis left for the mortal world, and I addressed Hephaestus. His well-built muscles, which had seemed like dead weight, twitched as I spoke.

"Hephaestus."

"Yes, Uncle."

"Why did you do it? Athena has vowed chastity before the Styx, and you tried to force yourself upon her, without even a proper marriage."

"But... I'm innocent, Uncle!"

What could he possibly claim innocence over now?

I looked at him incredulously, but Hephaestus burst out, unable to hold it in.

"Uncle Poseidon, told me that the reason Athena was coming to my forge was because she liked me…!"

"Ah."

I understood immediately. Those two never had a good relationship.

When Poseidon staged his rebellion, Athena, though approached, didn’t join him.

Medusa, who had been involved with Poseidon, was cursed into a monster by Athena.

They even fought bitterly over a city in the mortal world. Poseidon gifted the people a horse, while Athena gave them an olive tree, and the people chose her.

The name of that city is Athens, home to those most devoted to the goddess of wisdom.

"Poseidon tricked you to get back at Athena... I see."

"Yes, I think so too. But nobody would believe me."

“Well, of course! Who would believe the words of someone who tried to assault a goddess who came to the forge?”

"That... that is..."

Sigh! Calm down. Calm down. Is this really the right approach?

No, it’s an educational issue—likely influenced by Zeus and his own dealings with women. Add to that the fact that Hephaestus never even shared a bed with his wife Aphrodite…

The legitimate son of Zeus, god of volcanoes, fire, and the forge, and he ends up in this state…

The future of Olympus seems very bright indeed.

"Summon Eros, who handles the task of torturing prisoners."

"Yes!"

After a while, a young god, his fingers bleeding ichor, entered the audience hall where I was waiting with Hephaestus.

As soon as he entered, the god of love knelt immediately.

"Lord Hades, I’ve truly reflected on my actions..."

"Eros. Teach Hephaestus what you do here and then return to Olympus."

Eros's face lit up, his eyes widening in surprise. The exhaustion that had been visible on his face just moments ago had vanished.

"Thank you, Lord Hades! I swear I won’t do anything like that again, even if Mother tells me to!"

"You... Uncle."

"What is it?"

"Am I to take on the role of torturing prisoners? Couldn’t I be assigned something befitting a blacksmith instead...?"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll speak to Zeus about making you a permanent resident of the Underworld."

"..."

The root of the attempted assault on Athena was Hephaestus's loneliness. Despite having a goddess like Aphrodite as his wife, his desires weren’t being met.

"Then, I shall take my leave…"

"Please follow me, 

Hephaestus!"

Watching Hephaestus and Eros leave the audience hall, I rubbed my forehead.

Hold on… He was desperate enough to try and violate Athena, a virgin goddess who’d vowed chastity.

If Gaia, beautifully adorned, were to appear in front of him, might he also shift his affection toward her?

Given that they've even had a child together... Hmm.

Maybe I should divorce him from Aphrodite and find him a new goddess. 

"...Hephaestus."

"Yes?"

Let's solve your marriage problem once and for all.