It had been a little while since the two goddesses, Styx and Lethe, had disembarked from the chariot.
The ghostly steeds swiftly galloped across the expansive plains on the outskirts of Mount Etna. The sound of the chariot's wheels and the hooves of the horses echoed across the wide-open landscape. Of course, being invisible and silent to humans, they remained unaware.
Laughter and calls echoed from afar.
"Over here! Throw it this way!"
Despite the mountain's inherent dangers, with Typhon's body sealed within, its beauty still drew many nymphs. The landscape featured lush forests and a clear stream flowing through, the ideal setting for fairies.
Naturally, my expression relaxed, and I felt a sense of calm. It was indeed a pleasant change from staring at scrolls in my office all day.
After temporarily vanishing the chariot and ghostly steeds, I suppressed my presence as I approached the mountain. If my presence were to overwhelm this area, Typhon's body might be stirred, potentially causing an earthquake.
I sent out my dark divine energy to gently sweep over the mountain, probing for any movement in the buried body beneath. Hmm. Typhon's body remains where it should, undisturbed.
Just as I was about to return to where I had parted from the goddesses, someone called out from the trees. The presence of a female nymph who had been glancing my way caught my attention.
"Hey, handsome! If you're bored, why don't you play with me?"
A nymph with striking light teal hair approached, waving me over. The cool and refreshing aura suggested she was one of the Naiades, water nymphs.
But there seemed to be another who had already claimed my attention...
"Minthe! What's so special about that guy? Why don't you talk to me?"
"No, I don't want to! Go away!"
A male centaur rushed over and roughly grabbed the nymph's hand. He had been hovering around her for a while, and though I thought they might be acquaintances, it appeared to be one-sided courting.
"Shut up! Just come with me!"
"Kyaa! Let me go!"
The centaur, angry, roughly pulled the nymph into his embrace. Soon enough, the all-too-common crime in Greece would have occurred.
The many instances of gods and men alike assaulting beautiful women, such as Zeus or Poseidon, lead to the arrival of women in the underworld, full of resentment, pleading with Minos for justice.
"Hey! What are you looking at? This woman is mine—ugh!"
"Eek!... Haah..."
Having seen enough, I intimidated the centaur, leading him to his death. The heart of the centaur, who was about to assault the nymph, stopped, and he collapsed, frothing at the mouth.
"Eek...!"
The nymph, catching my eye, cried in fear, tears welling up. Watching her hurriedly dress in her half-disheveled clothing, I sighed.
"...I have no interest in you, so don't worry."
"Are you... a god from somewhere?"
"Yes, and you should stay with other nymphs. There's no shortage of scoundrels like him."
Starting with the supreme god Zeus, there wasn't much difference with other races. Particularly with centaurs, who had the lower bodies of beasts, they were even more instinct-driven.
Having accomplished my task, I prepared to leave when a familiar scent caught my attention from the nymph. It was a refreshing scent, one I had smelled a long time ago.
It had been ages since I last encountered this scent—perhaps around the time Athena was born? Or when we overthrew my father, Cronus, to seize control of the world?
No, it was even earlier, a scent I only experienced in a past life...
A scent I dearly missed.
The nymph, who had finished dressing, thanked me.
"Thank you so much. If you meet any other nymphs around here, you can say you're an acquaintance of Minthe."
Minthe... Could this be related to...
"What did you say your name was?"
"I'm called Minthe."
Minthe. Menthe... Mint? Like the mint in mint chocolate?
"You are a Naiad, a water nymph... Are you by any chance growing fragrant plants?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
"Over here, my lord."
Noticing my interest in the plant, Minthe gestured for me to follow. I trailed behind her into the forest until we reached some plants growing beside a stream.
"This is it. It's just a regular plant, but I infused it with my power, and it turned out like this..."
Tiny leaves, a new species I hadn't seen in the mortal realm before. This plant is indeed...
"Mint... It's peppermint."
"Huh?"
Ignoring Minthe's bewilderment, I plucked a leaf and chewed it. The refreshing sensation filled my mouth—a long-forgotten scent from my past.
"Minthe, is it? I am Hades, god of the underworld."
"W-what...? L-lord Hades?!"
"Yes, you've revived my forgotten memories, so I'll grant you one wish."
I didn't foolishly swear by the River Styx. I intended to grant a wish within reason.
Though, to be fair, the "reasonable" range was quite broad.
Upon hearing my words, Minthe was taken aback and flustered, her face flushing red before she managed to speak.
"T-then, could you... Uh, never mind... How could I ask for something..."
"You can take your time to think it over."
"W-would you... spend a little time with me?"
...Is that really your wish?
She asked hesitantly, her face a deep shade of red.
"Was that too bold a request?! I'm sorry..."
"That's a simple request. But I wish to reward you further..."
As a spirit and a fairy, wealth's blessing wouldn't be of much use. She didn't seem to have any grand desires...
Ah! I've got it. I could give her the honor that everyone desires.
"In addition, I'll make your creation, mint, my symbol."
"W-what?! T-that's too much..."
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It's not too much, considering she awakened memories of my past life. The reward doesn't end there.
"From now on, mint will always grow in my temple, and I will let the humans know you created it. Foods made from mint will spread across the world..."
"E-eek..."
Minthe, unable to speak, opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. Her face turned crimson, like Hephaestus's flames, as she covered it with her hands.
Next, I was about to fulfill her simple wish for a brief walk when I sensed the approach of goddesses.
Lady Lethe and... Lady Styx?
"Ah, Hades! There you are... Oh?"
"We've been looking everywhere for you... But who is that..."
The goddesses approached, alternating their gaze between Minthe's flushed face and me. Their expressions hardened, and their divine energy emanated ominously.
Sensing the divine energy, Minthe glanced between me and the goddesses...
"This energy... G-goddesses? Th-then! I'm sorry!"
...and she fled, seemingly having realized something.
No, wait! What am I supposed to do if you just run away like that? Should I have stopped her and asked for her help in clearing up the misunderstanding?
The eyes of the approaching goddesses made my chest ache.
"Hades is a male god, after all..."
"You came out to play with us, but you're already chasing another woman..."
"...It's not what you're thinking."
Days later, at the flourishing temple of Hades in Thebes...
The high priest, who had been praying with his eyes closed, suddenly rose in shock. He rang the bell beside him, and the clear sound echoed through the temple.
"The Oracle of Hades has descended! All priests, gather immediately!"
"An oracle?! What does it say this time..."
"Lord Hades has declared his symbol!"
Amidst the temple, dark divine energy swirled as Hades's gift arrived. After finally clearing up the misunderstanding with the two goddesses, Hades had sent a substantial amount of mint to his temple.
The priests, staring at the pile of mint leaves and seeds, wore puzzled expressions.
"This is... I've never seen a plant like this before. It has a strong scent."
"There must be a reason Lord Hades sent this to us..."
"He named it 'mint' after the nymph Menthe who created it..."
"Did that nymph perform some great deed?"
One of the priests finally spoke up after pondering for some time. It was Peneideia, the future high priestess whom Hades had directly descended upon.
"Could it be that Hades is showing consideration for the dead and their families?"
"Consideration for the dead?"
"If we use mint's strong scent in funerals to mask the stench of corpses, wouldn't it ease the minds of both the deceased and their families?"
"Ah! It's similar to the coins we give to the ferryman Charon!"
Realization dawned on their faces.
"Indeed! No one wants their deceased family members to emit a foul odor..."
"So that they can have some peace on their final journey..."
"As expected, he sent us a fragrant plant. The merciful god..."
The priests prayed to the god of mercy, whose kindness surpassed that of anyone else. In that moment, their faith in him deepened.
From then on, a tradition began in Thebes to place the symbol of the merciful god, Pluto—mint—among the clothes of the deceased during funerals.
"Pluto's mercy is embodied in mint leaves, they say?"
"They say it's a solution to the stench of decaying bodies."
"The god of the underworld is truly merciful..."
"And the nymph Menthe must be quite something."
And in the underworld, a certain god noticed his growing power...
"Could it be that I have another temple on earth, besides Thebes?"