The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 103: The Story of Eros and Psyche – (2)

Eros flew down to the mortal world, grumbling after receiving orders from his mother, Aphrodite.

He flapped his small white wings and headed towards a palace where Psyche resided.

A window high above naturally opened, creating a path for the god of love to pass through.

The invisible intruder, hidden from mortal eyes, slipped into Psyche’s room...

“Wow…”

Even Eros, who saw the goddess of beauty and love, Aphrodite, every day, couldn't help but be awed by the sight before him.

What are goddesses anyway? The one before his eyes seemed more like a true goddess.

Seeing Psyche peacefully sleeping in her bed, Eros instantly fell in love with her...

His youthful body swiftly grew into that of a handsome young man.

Gods are immortal and usually maintain their original forms and personalities.

However, sometimes a change in divine status or a certain event can alter them.

The young god, now realizing love for the first time, matured into a young man for that very reason.

‘I’m supposed to carry out my mother’s punishment... but she’s too beautiful. Do I really have to?’

Eros hesitated. How could he simply abandon the mortal woman he had fallen for at first sight?

Even if it was his mother’s command, did he have to follow it without question? Unlike other gods, he hadn’t even married yet…

But the time spent pondering was brief. The god of love, entranced by the power of love for the first time, took a bottle out of his bosom.

It contained bitter water that could strip away love, as well as sweet water that would enhance beauty.

‘My future bride cannot marry another.’

Eros sprinkled the bitter water, which was drawn from a spring in Aphrodite’s garden, onto Psyche’s lips.

Now, no one would propose to Psyche, who had been touched by the magic of the bitter water.

‘…Was using the bitter water a bit too much? But I feel bad, so…’

Eros reached into his bosom again and took out the bottle containing the sweet water.

This water had the power to make the beauty of its target shine even more, and when it was sprinkled on Psyche, she would receive even more praise from humans.

‘How will I explain this to Mother?’

After placing a gentle kiss on Psyche’s forehead as she slept, the god of love left.

* * *

Eros returned to Aphrodite’s palace, carefully avoiding his mother’s glaring eyes.

Well, of course she would be upset. She told him to carry out a punishment, but instead, he returned as a grown man.

“Eroooos…?! You seem to have a lot to explain to me…!”

“Well, I was about to shoot Psyche with a lead arrow, but…”

“About to?”

“I accidentally pricked myself with a gold arrow instead. And so, I ended up growing like this.”

Nonsense. Aphrodite was appalled.

An accident? An accident with a gold arrow? A god, who can perfectly control their own body?

Even if it were an accident, the lead and gold arrows were powers only Eros could wield, not even Aphrodite herself could control them.

Is there any god who could fall victim to their own power? Even if they were harmed, wouldn’t they be able to shake it off?

Of course, Eros’ arrows held power that even he could not avoid, but that didn’t register at all in the enraged Aphrodite’s mind.

It was obvious to her—Eros had fallen in love with a mortal and lost his mind.

The fact that he had grown from a child to a young man was proof enough of the change in his heart.

“I’d sooner believe the ridiculous rumor that the god Thanatos was subdued by a mere human!”

“…It’s true.”

“Hoo… Adonis! Are you there?”

“Yes, Lady Aphrodite. What is your command?!”

A young man’s voice answered as Aphrodite, holding her head in frustration, called for a servant.

He was an extraordinarily handsome and beautiful young man in his twenties, and the moment Eros saw him, he muttered in annoyance.

“…Mother, you can’t resist good-looking humans either, can you? Someone like that…”

“Do you think this is the same?! That human is just a servant, and you’ve fallen in love with a human! Adonis, bring me a cup of nectar.”

“Yes, Lady Aphrodite.”

Adonis, following her command, left the room again.

Surprisingly, Aphrodite’s words were true.

She really just kept the handsome Adonis around because she liked him. She had no deeper feelings for a human.

Although Adonis was more handsome than any other mortal she had ever seen...

“For a human, he’s quite attractive, but he’s not the kind of man I’d want to spend a night with.”

“So, is it Lord Ares, then?”

“…Ares, yes, but also, someone with high status, a good personality, trusted by all, and with charisma—a male god like that would be even better…”

Is there even a male god who fits all of her preferences? Wait, hold on...

Only one god came to Eros’ mind who met all those conditions.

As one of the three major gods, his status was high, respected by both mortals and gods, the god of compassion, trusted even by Zeus, and the ruler of the Underworld...

“Like Lord Hades, perhaps?”

“Yes, exactly like… wait! That’s not the point! We were talking about you and that woman, Psyche!”

Eros’ awkward expression turned as he tried to shift the topic, while his mother’s face grew stern again.

Aphrodite’s stern voice came down like a decree.

“I understand you’re smitten with the woman who has damaged my honor, but I will never accept her!”

“But… please give her a little more time. I’m sure Psyche will win over your heart, too.”

“Hmph. Winning my heart? Then let’s see if she passes the test. I’ll permit it, but only after seeing her attitude.”

In the past, she would have immediately punished Psyche, but...

Perhaps because she had recently divorced Hephaestus, Aphrodite was more lenient, folding her arms as she spoke.

Maybe she saw a reflection of herself in Eros, who had fallen in love with a mortal… just as she had once secretly visited Ares when she was forced into a marriage.

And so, Psyche, without even knowing it, was tasked with facing the trials of the gods.

* * *

The praise for the third princess of the kingdom, Psyche, grew greater with each passing day.

Of course, it was all thanks to the power of the sweet water that Eros had sprinkled on her.

“Princess Psyche is undoubtedly the most beautiful woman on earth.”

“Of course. Her beauty surpasses even that of the goddess Persephone, whom Pluto took away, and the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite…”

“That’s true! But for some reason, I don’t feel the urge to propose to her.”

“Did you feel the same? Though her beauty is undeniable…”

Yet, because of the power of the bitter water, there wasn’t a single person who proposed to her.

As the rumors of the princess's beauty spread further, the king and queen, finding it strange that no suitor appeared, finally visited the oracle at Delphi.

The prophecy given by Apollo at Delphi was as follows:

“The child is fated never to marry a human, so abandon her on the mountain.”

“W-what does that mean? Who will she marry?”

“My daughter Psyche… How could this be…”

A vile monster, more wicked than any snake or beast, will come to take Psyche.

Psyche’s parents wept.

To be destined to marry a dreadful monster—and for that fate to be set by prophecy…

But they could not defy the prophecy. Didn’t they also know the stories of Oedipus and Perseus?

Wait a minute, though… Didn’t the famous hero, King Perseus, manage to avoid his prophecy?

“Dear… do you remember the tale of King Perseus?”

“You mean the hero who received a prophecy that he would kill his grandfather? Ah… could it be!”

King Perseus, having received a prophecy from Pluto, the god of the underworld and mercy, was able to send his grandfather to rest peacefully.

The story of the great hero who escaped the fate of becoming a criminal by killing his kin was well-known even here.

“That’s right. The god Pluto, pitying the mortal bound by tragic fate, revealed a way to twist the prophecy, didn’t he?”

“Then, could it be the same for our Psyche…?”

Strictly speaking, the prophecy was circumvented, but...

Seeing a glimmer of hope that they might save their daughter from the monster, they headed for Pluto’s temple.

And the reason for that... was the very situation I, Hades, found myself in, being disturbed by these humans at the temple in Thebes.

For about a week now, they had been prostrating themselves, pleading, and making so much noise that I couldn’t ignore it any longer.

“O Pluto, god of the underworld! Please, have mercy on our daughter!”

“Our youngest daughter, who is as dear to us as our own eyes, is to be married off to a monster… Please have pity on us…”

The tale of a king and queen from a distant kingdom coming to the temple and weeping loudly spread quickly...

Yesterday, even some of the gods of the underworld came to me, asking if I would consider helping those mortals.

“Hades… what do you think about helping those humans who’ve been praying at the temple every day lately?”

“Lady Lethe?”

“They were even praying before my statue yesterday… I’ve heard their daughter is incredibly beautiful…”

“They must really cherish their daughter.”

“Hypnos, what do you mean?”

“Morpheus, who visited their dreams last night, said their minds were filled with nothing but worry for their daughter…”

Many humans believed prophecies to be unchangeable, predestined fates, but the truth was a little different.

In the cases of Oedipus and Perseus, their fates were indeed fixed.

Even Zeus, king of the gods, could not alter them. Only slight deviations from the prophecy were permitted.

However, this prophecy… What? A woman destined to marry a monster?

As the ruler of the underworld, I knew there was no woman at thi

s time fated to marry a monster.

Thus, the conclusion was clear.

The prophecy given to Psyche was not a fixed fate but rather the will of Apollo, who presided over Delphi.

“Morpheus, go to Olympus and tell Apollo I’m coming to see him. I need to ask him what’s going on.”

“You’ve finally decided to help them, have you? Well, I must admit, those humans were quite pitiful.”

Who is playing strange tricks on the mortal realm again?