The Story of Persephone - Chapter 7
Demeter’s face flushed with anger as she pointed a finger at me.
“Hades! Did you conspire with Eros to have my daughter struck by one of his arrows?” “I swear I didn’t! The golden arrow flew at me from behind, and I dodged it, but it just happened to hit Persephone...” “Then why did you bring her to the Underworld and feed her? You’re no better than Zeus or Poseidon!” “What? You dare compare me to those two?”
Even if her daughter’s descent to the Underworld made her lose her composure, comparing me to those two is out of line. Sigh... I need to calm down.
“...Think about it rationally. Do I seem like the kind of god who would plot against your daughter, someone I didn’t even know existed? This was all a coincidence.” “Ugh...! So, you’re saying it’s all Eros’s fault? But Eros wouldn’t dare shoot an arrow at you...”
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The gods don’t interfere with each other’s domains. Even when mistakes are made or when a god’s nature causes problems, we respect each other’s roles.
If Poseidon were to abandon his responsibilities, life in the sea would slowly perish. If Ares didn’t incite war, the mortal population would become unmanageable. If Aphrodite’s love were restricted, no new mortals would be born.
The unwritten rule among the gods is not to meddle in each other’s realms. This sometimes causes issues when a god’s personality leads to unexpected consequences for others. However, this rule becomes more flexible with higher divine ranks. Few would dare challenge one of the three Great Gods who rule over entire worlds.
This is why Dike, the goddess of justice, cannot easily call out the crimes of higher-ranking gods. I assume this is what Demeter was implying.
“It was likely a mistake during his archery practice.” “A mistake?” “Right after your daughter was struck, I looked around, but Eros was nowhere to be found.” “What... But still, how could that be a mere coincidence... Unless?”
As she stood there, taking deep breaths, Demeter’s face turned red again, and she gathered a cloud to fly off somewhere. Is she going to confront Eros? Or complain to Zeus?
I quickly followed her.
“Aphrodite! Did you order your son Eros to shoot my daughter with an arrow?” “What? Why are you accusing me? What’s this all about?”
Flying quickly through the clouds, I arrived at Aphrodite’s abode, where she was already in a heated argument with Demeter.
It seems my words to Aphrodite last time had some effect. Standing beside her was Hephaestus, not Ares.
Well, even if they aren’t a perfect match, they are still married. It’s only proper for them to appear together in official matters. Hephaestus, standing a bit apart, looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if asking what was going on.
“Uncle... What’s this about Eros’s arrow?” “It’s nothing serious. Eros shot a golden arrow at me, but I dodged it, and it hit Demeter’s daughter instead.” “What?!”
“So... So this really happened? I had no idea...” “You didn’t order it? So it really was Eros acting on his own...” “If I had planned this, I would have told him to shoot when I was passing in front of Hades!”
As I explained the situation to Hephaestus, Aphrodite and Demeter seemed to clear up their misunderstanding. But what was that about who should be passing in front of whom?
When I glanced at Aphrodite, she averted her eyes, trying to avoid my gaze.
“Well... That was just a figure of speech...” “Enough of that. Call your son here and let’s find out whether this was a coincidence or another one of his pranks.” “All right, all right! I’ll just ask Eros myself!”
Grumbling at Demeter’s insistence, the goddess of beauty reluctantly went to fetch her son. As we waited, Demeter crossed her arms impatiently, and Hephaestus leaned toward me.
“Uncle, does this mean that Persephone has fallen for you?” “It seems so... But how do you know her? She seems to be a young goddess.”
My niece truly looked young. Eros hadn’t been around for long either... Persephone couldn’t be more than 200? 300 years old?
“I live in the Olympian palace. I haven’t seen the goddess of spring and seeds at any of the banquets, but I’ve heard the rumors.” “What rumors?” “That she inherited both her father’s and mother’s looks, making her incredibly beautiful.” “I see...” “Is she really that beautiful? They say her golden hair and eyes are as radiant as the wheat blessed by Demeter.” “Is every beautiful goddess your type?” “Of course not... It’s just... I haven’t been able to truly love Aphrodite...”
“So, you’re envious of me? But it’s not exactly a situation to be happy about.” “Why not? Persephone’s parents are siblings, and most Olympian gods are born from such unions...”
He seemed genuinely perplexed, as if he couldn’t understand why I wasn’t pleased with the situation.
“Honestly, there are times when even Athena looks beautiful to me. Don’t you think so, Uncle?” “Hephaestus.” “Her impressive figure that not even her armor and helmet can hide... Yes?” “Let’s stop the nonsense right here.” “...Understood...”
Sure, Goddess Lethe and Goddess Styx are distant relatives, but... Persephone is a much closer blood relative. Even if intermarriage isn’t a sin among the gods, this feels too close.
As it turns out, the golden arrow shot by Eros was indeed a mistake. While wandering outside the Olympian palace, he had carelessly fired an arrow that unfortunately struck Persephone near Mount Etna.
“It was really an accident. The arrow flew in the direction of Mount Etna, but I didn’t think it would hit anyone...”
Aphrodite, who had grasped the situation, stood with her hands on her hips, scolding her son. His forehead was already red, suggesting he’d been smacked a few times.
“How many times have I told you! Practice your archery with the designated targets!” “...I’m sorry...”
“Humph! He may be a young god, but do you think just apologizing will suffice after shooting my daughter?”
Eros, holding his small bow, looked dejected. He appeared like a human child of about five or six, but with delicate white wings on his back.
“I’ve always told you to use your arrows sparingly and only when necessary! But you keep messing up!” “I-I understand. But Mother...” “What? You’re still talking back?!” “...You told me to shoot the golden arrow when Hades was passing by! Why are you blaming me?!”
“What?”
Demeter, who was still fuming, now looked at Aphrodite in disbelief.
“So... Like mother, like son.” “T-this is all a misunderstanding!”
“Pfft. What misunderstanding? Not too long ago, you even suggested to Eros that he try shooting the arrow at Hades... Mmph!” “Oh dear! I don’t know why he’s saying that...!”
The goddess of beauty hastily covered her son’s mouth, smiling awkwardly. Not only does she wear the Cestus to attract lovers, but now she’s even enlisting Eros in her schemes.
“...If another arrow from Eros comes my way, I’ll know it’s your doing.” “T-that’s not fair... This is all your fault, Hades! How can you refuse a goddess of beauty who desires you so much?!”
As Aphrodite, her face flushed with anger, began to blame me, I felt a headache coming on. Seriously, is it right for a married woman, who already has a lover, to behave this way?
“Everything is your fault, Hades!”
With that parting shot, Aphrodite flew off in tears.
Fortunately, Hephaestus wasn’t here to witness this. If he had been, we might have seen a repeat of the scandal between Ares and Aphrodite from the recent art festival... The god of the forge might have joined Gaia’s side, shedding tears of blood.
As Demeter watched Aphrodite’s retreating figure, she seemed to come to a realization, nodding as she mumbled to herself.
“It’s clear now that you didn’t try to seduce my daughter. I didn’t think there was a man who could resist the advances of the goddess of beauty...”
...I think I preferred being buried in work in the Underworld.
“Anyway, I apologize for my misunderstanding.” “...Well, it’s good you realize it now.”
I then turned to Eros, who was looking downcast, his wings drooping. Even if it was an accident, he needed to learn that shooting love’s golden arrow carelessly was not something to take lightly.
“Uh... Can I leave now, Lord Hades...?” “Eros, if you need a place to practice your archery, I can provide it in the Underworld.” “Really...?!”
“If you come to the Underworld later, I’ll let you shoot your arrows to your heart’s content.” “Wow! Really? I’ll be there soon!”
Blissfully unaware of his fate, Eros flew off, excited.
With Aphrodite also holding the mantle of love, the world wouldn’t be thrown off balance if Eros spent a long time in the Underworld. Finally, I’ll be able to relieve the spirits who have been torturing the worst of the damned night and day.
I’ll make sure he never shoots an arrow carelessly again.
Even if it means shooting until his fingers fall off...!
“Even if she’s fallen for you because of Eros’s arrow, I’ll need to speak with Kore.” “Do as you will. I’m returning to the Underworld now, so get on the chariot.”
As I prepared to return to the Underworld with Demeter, someone approached us, walking on the clouds. His immense divine power was comparable to mine, a god with blue hair.
My brother, the lord of the seas, Poseidon, approached us, his eyes filled with regret. I had a bad feeling about this...
Demeter spoke to him.
“Poseidon? What are you here for?” “Hm. Hm. I heard that your daughter was missing and came to offer my condolences...” “And where did you hear that? And what exactly do you mean by condolences?” “Ahem! It seems I arrived a bit late. Well then, I’ll be off.”
With one last regretful glance at Demeter, Poseidon vanished.
It seems Poseidon heard from some nearby nymphs that Demeter’s daughter was playing near Mount Etna and that she later boarded my chariot to the Underworld.
And condolences... ‘Condolences’... Hmm. There’s no way the rough Poseidon would have just offered kind words...
Did he perhaps think Demeter, grief-stricken over the loss of her daughter, would be more open to... comfort?
A moment of silence passed between us. Soon, Demeter seemed to reach the same conclusion, clenching her fists and grinding her teeth.
“Zeus, Poseidon...! Grrr... All these male gods are the same!” “...That’s an insult.”
This is the current state of Olympus, the dwelling of gods revered and feared by all mortals.