The boat drifted along the flowing River of Fire, and Eros and Hypnos had managed to sneak onto someone else's vessel.
The Underworld was simply too vast. It wasn't like some rebellious prince running away from home, escaping in just a few rooms.
Take the River Lethe alone, the smallest of the five Underworld rivers that only encircled Tartarus and Eros had to swim through it for nine days and nights.
And that was just the smallest of the five. That alone spoke to how enormous the Underworld really was.
The gods of the Underworld, the countless dead souls and demons that dwelled there, along with the monsters of Gaia that lived in the darkness below the earth.
That's right, in Greek mythology, the Underworld was beneath the earth. When Odysseus and Heracles descended into it, they reached it directly through caves.
So when Zeus ascended the throne as King of the Gods, he didn't behave himself.
On the surface, he expressed gratitude to Grandmother Gaia and left the land to her. But in truth, he didn't mention a word about the Underworld beneath it.
One couldn't really blame Gaia for secretly preparing Typhon—her children were all rebels, one after another.
But that had little to do with Eros for now. He was busy savoring the feeling of sailing across a river of fire.
In a mythological world, what it didn't lack were sights like this.
It felt like they were gliding over volcanic lava, occasionally erupting with gases filled with sulfur and ash.
And yet all Eros could smell was the faint scent of pomegranate blossoms lingering nearby.
Sitting next to him like a widow in mourning was Edoneus. Despite the dark, somber colors she wore, she always made Eros think of vibrant red pomegranate flowers.
Perhaps this was the charm of maturity. Among the goddesses Eros had met,
excluding the unseen face of Nyx, it was only this Edoneus who gave off such a fully mature aura.
Even Styx, who already had several children, came up short in comparison.
But Eros didn't recall anyone named Edoneus. Was it a pseudonym?
"Eros, is it alright if I call you that?"
Just as Eros was lost in thought, the woman using the alias Edoneus—Hades herself—spoke up first.
"You're human, aren't you? Why did you come to this deepest part of the Underworld?"
Voluptuous yet tranquil, dignified and elegant, she sat there like a shadowed bride.
Her black mourning dress exuded solemnity, but the lace-trimmed veil added a hint of bridal anticipation.
Beneath the veil, half of a fair face peeked out, and those blood-red lips… Eros found himself deeply intrigued.
He was no longer even paying attention to Hypnos, the little succubus, letting her play by herself.
A scrawny little imp was no match for this forbidden and seductive big sister.
"I don't mind explaining, but this might not be the right time."
As he spoke, Eros glanced toward the River of Fire still burning, with souls wailing from its depths.
If the atmosphere were right, Eros wouldn't mind strumming a lyre and telling her all about his glorious past.
But right now...
"I see. That's a bit of a shame."
Hades sounded genuinely disappointed.
"The scenery of the Underworld is indeed rather bleak. If there were a chance, I'd like to hear your story, Eros."
She was genuinely curious how a human like Eros had appeared so deep in the Underworld without a word.
He bore the marks of many gods and was even hanging around with the god of sleep, Hypnos.
"What do you mean bleak?!"
Hypnos flapped her little wings and darted between them, clearly upset.
"The Underworld has looked like this since the dawn of time! What do you mean bleak? It's obviously beautiful!"
"Adults are talking, little ones should stay quiet."
Eros casually nudged her aside, making Hypnos even angrier.
Ever since this Edoneus had shown up, Eros barely even looked at her anymore.
Before, he used to stare at her with all sorts of weird looks, and now he'd completely shifted his attention elsewhere.
Normally, this would be a cause for relief—escaping the tiger's den for now.
But this feeling of her charm being dismissed really didn't sit well with Hypnos.
Aside from stomping in frustration and grilling Eros in her mind, there wasn't much else she could do but fume helplessly.
"Now where were we?" Eros smiled at Hades.
"The scenery here is actually quite beautiful. At the end of the Underworld's rivers, you can see endless waters plunging into the abyss, and there's even Elysium, the land of bliss."
"If I ever get the chance, I'd love to visit the palace of the King of the Underworld."
Of course, the palace was just an excuse. What he really wanted to see was Hades and Persephone—especially the latter.
He'd already tasted the Sea Queen and the Queen of the Gods. How could he miss the Queen of the Underworld?
Beneath her veil, Hades' expression turned a bit odd.
"There's no such thing as a palace for the King of the Underworld. The Underworld belongs to the Mother Goddess, and she dwells in the night. There's no such thing as a palace."
Unwilling to be left out, Hypnos chimed in again.
"Huh? What about Hades, the King of the Underworld? Isn't she in the Underworld?"
"No idea. I've never seen her. Maybe she's hiding out of fear of the Mother Goddess."
Eros paused, surprised by her answer.
That couldn't be right, could it?
Even if Hades had the weakest presence in mythology, she couldn't be so insignificant that she didn't even dare enter the Underworld.
If she wasn't here, then who ruled the Underworld? Who would fulfill the role of Queen of the Underworld that Eros still lacked?
"This could be a problem…"
Eros muttered to himself. Meanwhile, Hades beside him had lost her smile at some point.
"Whether she comes or not doesn't really matter. The world doesn't need her to keep turning."
"Aren't the children of Nyx, the Goddess of Night, doing a fine job?"
Hearing that, Hypnos puffed out her scrawny chest.
"Exactly! We don't need any so-called King of the Underworld. The Underworld has always belonged to our lineage of night gods!"
"Well, you're not exactly wrong."
Eros thought about it—within Hades' own domain, the workers were all children of Nyx, and the judges were children of Zeus.
Hades herself had essentially been sidelined. Saying she was useless wasn't entirely unfair.
"Still, without her, it feels like something's missing."
Eros sighed, wondering in his heart what kind of person Hades really was.
Unbeknownst to him, Hades was right beside him at that very moment.
"Why would you feel something is missing?"
Quietly, Hades' fingers clenched under her black mourning dress.
"The Underworld runs fine without her. The so-called King of the Underworld is just a name—someone chosen because the role had to exist."
"What's there to miss about such a character?"
That's right. The title of King of the Underworld was nothing more than a scapegoat.
Olympus wanted to maintain sovereignty over the Underworld but also avoid direct conflict with the lineage of night gods.
So she, Hades, had been pushed into the role.
Or rather, she had stepped into it herself.
She still remembered what it had been like on Mount Olympus.
Hestia had no interest in getting involved. Zeus's seat had long been decided.
Hera and Demeter were Zeus's wives, and the only one left was Poseidon...
Never mind her.
In the end, Hades was the only one left who could take the throne of the Underworld.
No one had to force her. No one even hinted at it. She simply accepted it on her own.
She veiled her face in black, wrapped herself in mourning robes.
As the Queen of the Underworld, she would spend the rest of her life in that desolate, grim realm.
But that was fine. She had prepared herself long ago.
"You're asking me what I'd miss?"
Eros pondered for a moment.
"If I had to say... I guess I just want to see her."
"See her?"
The fingers that had been digging into Hades' skin suddenly relaxed.
What kind of answer was that?
"She's the King of the Underworld. Surely she must be a goddess beautiful enough to live up to the title, right?"
With no attempt to hide it, Eros voiced exactly what he was thinking.
"Because I love beautiful things. Especially beautiful goddesses—I love them very much."
"It's rare for me to come to the Underworld. If I didn't get to see her, I'd definitely feel a bit disappointed."
Hypnos spat in disdain, glaring at Eros.
So it all came down to lust? And here she thought he was going to wax poetic.
Hades blinked, then chuckled softly.
"She holds dominion over the Underworld. Her essence is death. Do you think she would be beautiful?"
The veil of death blackens the face. Her pale, almost sickly skin made her crimson lips all the more vivid.
Once she accepted the divine role of Queen of the Underworld, she too had begun to drift toward death.
Even Hades herself didn't know what she looked like beneath the veil anymore.
"She's the god of sleep, too. Look at her—does she seem like it?"
Eros suddenly grabbed the little tail behind Hypnos, causing her to shiver violently.
Hades curved her lips into a faint smile.
Indeed, had she not seen it herself today, she never would've guessed that Hypnos, the god of sleep, would have such a personality.
"That's why stereotypes are dangerous. You have to see things with your own eyes."
As if recalling something, Eros' tone suddenly grew firmer.
"No matter what anyone says, I need to see her myself to decide whether she's beautiful or not."
Besides, she was born of the same womb as Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera. How bad could she possibly look?
Even Poseidon, for all her insanity, was a stunning beauty when not speaking.
Moved by Eros' persistent desire to see her, Hades almost opened her mouth to respond—but Hypnos cut in first.
"Look, look! That over there is the River of Oaths. We're almost there!"
At some point, their boat had left the River of Fire behind, and the River of Oaths had come into view.
"Looks like this is where we part ways. What a pity."
Hades suppressed that faint stirring in her heart and spoke gently.
"I can only take you this far. I hope we'll meet again someday."
"Then... would you mind leaving me a mark?"
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