Styx pushed the door open and stepped inside, a faint sorrow in her eyes.
She was still holding Pallas's divinity in her hand, as if she'd already come to terms with something deep down.
Seeing that Eros wasn't asleep, Styx's gaze turned a little conflicted.
But in the end, she made up her mind.
"Eros, can you come walk with me for a while?"
"Of course. No problem."
Naturally, Eros didn't refuse, and the two stepped outside.
Right after they left, the door to the neighboring room creaked open ever so slightly, revealing Hypnos's curious little face.
She had originally planned to prank Eros in his sleep using her powers over dreams, but the opportunity had passed.
Now she was eager to see just what was going on between Eros and this goddess of the Underworld Oath.
Eros and Styx walked together out of the palace and toward the River of Oaths.
The two strolled along the riverbank. The stillness of the Underworld was uninterrupted as the river flowed gently without pause.
This ever-flowing river was the very embodiment of Styx.
From the moment of her birth, she had been deeply bound to this river.
Later, she naturally entered into marriage with Pallas—something that had simply fallen into place.
Among the Greek gods, their prosperity often stemmed from deepening bonds like these.
But over time, Styx could no longer remember how many years she had spent in the Underworld.
"Here, take this back."
Styx tossed Pallas's divinity back to Eros.
"You don't want to bring her back?"
Although this was within Eros's expectations, he hadn't thought Styx would be so decisive.
"No need, it's too much trouble. Even if she's revived, I'd have to put in all the effort to help her regain her sense of self."
Styx raised her arms over her head, stretching lazily as she rolled her eyes at Eros.
"Besides, do you really think I don't know what you're up to?"
"You're shady as hell. Something this suspicious, I'm not touching it."
Styx was an incredibly perceptive goddess. Although she'd been thrown off by Eros's unexpected move earlier, once she calmed down, she quickly figured out what was really going on.
Pallas's situation didn't matter as much to her now. What she truly cared about… was where she was going from here.
"Eros, why are you so fixated on me?"
Her voice drifted toward Eros, seeking an answer.
"There are so many beautiful goddesses. You've already made your way through plenty of my sisters too. Why bother coming all the way to the Underworld for me?"
The marks of Oceanus on Eros's body had accumulated quite a few new strokes.
Clearly, his time with her sisters in the great ocean had been… eventful.
But Styx wasn't accusing him, nor did she particularly mind. She simply wanted a reason.
A reason she could use to fool herself.
Even if Eros lied, as long as his words were romantic enough, she could choose to believe them.
Even if she saw through his real intentions, she wouldn't feel betrayed or angry.
In fact, deep down… there might even be a trace of joy.
This feeling of being pursued, of mutually teasing each other despite knowing better, this sense of taboo—was the opium she had grown addicted to.
You could say it was that classic line: "I just want to see your attitude."
Of course, this only worked if the person was charming enough.
Without charm, it'd just come off as pathetic and obsessive, a surefire way to get rejected.
Watching Styx's wavering expression, Eros knew that this loyal, restrained goddess was already teetering on the edge.
All it would take was a gentle push for her to let go of her restraint and fall into the depths.
But Eros didn't want just a momentary fall.
"Because I'm greedy," he said bluntly.
"If I like something, I want it all. I don't want to miss a single thing."
"If I can buy it, I'll buy it. If I can't buy it, I'll take it. Whatever it takes—I'll get what I want."
Styx couldn't help but laugh, equal parts amused and exasperated. Her indecisive thoughts were cut off in an instant.
Seeing her laugh, Eros smiled as well.
"What can I say? I'm human, not a god like you."
"With a limited life span, living with passion is the only thing that makes it worthwhile."
Only then did Styx recall the situation Eros was actually in.
He'd been hunted relentlessly by the Queen of the Gods, and after the incident with Amphitrite, he'd offended Poseidon as well.
Falling into the Underworld might have been a small thing for a god, but for Eros… he had really died once.
Thinking about it that way, she began to understand his mindset a little more.
Living under that much pressure, it made sense that he'd want to seek out joy.
Even though, well… her understanding was a little off.
"That's… not entirely wrong."
Styx let out a quiet sigh and said nothing more.
Yet despite herself, her heart started spiraling into turmoil again.
She had come looking for a reason. All Eros needed to do was say a few sweet words and she'd allow herself to indulge.
But then he gave her that blunt answer, and her tangled emotions came surging back.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Staring at the flowing river, she felt a strange sense of irritation.
So instead, she walked into the water, wading into the River of Oaths.
The cold underworld waters soaked through her black veil, tracing the alluring lines of her figure.
"Eros, did you know? This river was once called the River of Memories, a counterpart to the River of Forgetting."
For some reason, Styx suddenly started reminiscing.
"Souls that touch this river are forced to recall everything they've ever done."
"For those who lived a full life, who have no regrets—it's not a torment."
"But for souls filled with remorse and unfulfilled dreams, it's pure torture."
"And even I, as the goddess of this river, am no exception."
Eros, curious, stepped into the river again. Last time, he'd only dipped his toes in.
The first thing that hit him was regret—regret over what happened with Zeus and the others.
But then, all kinds of memories and emotions came flooding in, as if filtering his entire life before his eyes.
To his surprise, these memories triggered emotional fluctuations, which in turn enhanced the strength of his magnetic field.
So... memories actually worked?
He suddenly remembered how some legendary powerhouses kept growing stronger just by missing their wives or sisters. And now… it all made sense.
Some people lost their whole family and only unlocked a single tomoe in their Sharingan. Others stubbed their toe and went straight to three tomoe.
Turns out, having a stable mindset was actually slowing down his progress.
Eros was speechless. Good thing he was awakening Cosmo instead of magnetic power.
If it were magnetic forces, and a bunch of sensitive, glass-hearted crybabies awakened it, things would be an absolute mess.
Noticing that Eros had spaced out, Styx swam over.
Her expression was complicated. She used to feel nothing when she touched the river's waters.
But lately, as her thoughts grew more chaotic, she too had started to feel its effects.
First, she regretted attending her sisters' gathering that day. Then, she regretted listening to her father's orders. And now…
Even she didn't know what exactly she regretted anymore.
Was it letting Eros get involved with her, or something from long ago?
"You… what exactly are you trying to make me do?"
Her thoughts in turmoil, Styx raised a hand and gently touched Eros's face.
Snapping out of his emotional haze, Eros caught her hand and met her eyes—his gaze now burning slightly.
"That depends on what you want to do."
Though Eros held her wrist, Styx didn't shy away. Her emotions were just… complicated.
"But I already swore an oath. I can't betray…"
"You didn't betray anyone."
Eros took out Pallas's divinity again.
"See? Pallas is right here. How could that possibly count as betrayal?"
Styx chuckled at his nonsense, her voice soft.
"She's just a lost fragment of divinity now. She doesn't count for anything… unless you're willing to…"
But she didn't finish the sentence.
If Eros were willing to absorb her divine essence, maybe he could bypass the constraints of her oath.
But without question, he wouldn't do that. And Styx didn't want that either.
"How strange. Whether she's got her self or not, she's still Pallas, right?"
Eros countered calmly.
"And if she's Pallas, then me holding your hand now—and her staying quiet about it—means she approves, right?"
If the wronged party doesn't speak up = she agrees = not betrayal.
Styx stared at him, dumbfounded by his twisted logic. She wanted to refute him, but after thinking it through… it actually kind of made sense?
Still…
Looking at the glowing divinity in Eros's hand, she couldn't help but feel something was off.
"So if she's already approved, what are you still hesitating for?"
What was this?
This was like holding your ex-husband's ashes while sleeping with someone else's wife.
Even Eros thought his own logic was starting to sound a little perverted.
Still, his Cosmo was surging—so his instincts weren't lying.
"This…"
Styx hadn't expected him to say that. What, was she supposed to hold Pallas's divinity while-
"No, no, that's too weird!"
She panicked and instinctively activated her power to return to shore.
But Eros firmly held her hand and pulled her back.
"Saying no now is a little too late, don't you think?"
"Here, hold onto her."
Eros shoved Pallas's divinity into Styx's arms, forcing her to cradle it so she couldn't use her hands to resist.
Of course, that move was entirely unnecessary. He was just trying to make things more interesting for himself.
Because Styx wasn't really planning to resist at all.
She gave a half-hearted struggle, then wrapped her arms around the divinity and closed her eyes.
She had been waiting for a reason this whole time.
Even if the reason Eros gave was kind of stupid… it wasn't unacceptable.
But seriously… did she really have to hold onto this the whole time? What if she dropped it into the river?
It felt incredibly absurd, like she was playing with someone's ashes and she couldn't stop herself from laughing internally.
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