Story of Pluto's Temple - (3)

Eventually, a compromise was reached.

"The statue next to mine is the goddess Lethe, who presides over the River of Forgetfulness, and the other is the goddess Styx, who governs the River Styx..." "Does this mean that Pluto is married to both goddesses?" "The goddess of the Styx to whom we swear oaths..."

Next to my statue in the temple were statues of the goddesses Lethe and Styx, both of whom were quite pleased with this arrangement.

"Mmm. This is how it should be. We even have a child together, so how could you leave me out? From now on, please include me as well..." "Styx, we don't have a child. By that logic, Hades and Hephaestus's child is the bident..." "Hush! Don't mention that weapon that tormented my Cyneae!"

How did this come about?

Was it because the goddess Lethe bragged everywhere that her statue was set up next to mine? Or was it because the goddess Styx begged me, saying how could I leave her out after hearing that story?

And Cyneae is mine, you know...

But that wasn't the end of it.

"And this is the statue of Morpheus...?" "Gasp! Why is there a statue of Thanatos?" "So all these gods live in the Underworld?"

Yes, eventually, other gods also requested their statues be set up. Thanatos approached suspiciously, and Hypnos hinted that he sometimes wasn't recognized by mortals.

"No, isn't this too many?" "That... is that the statue of... the Erinyes?"

Yes, I even made statues of the Erinyes, the goddesses of vengeance. Judging by the intense reactions, it seems the humans are quite pleased.

Although it was supposed to be Hades' temple, humans' attention was distracted by the many statues around them. Only after they regained their senses did they kneel and start praying.

"Um... Let's just pray." "Would praying to the goddess of forgetfulness erase painful memories?"

I didn't expect so many believers to flock here. I should have used this method to exert influence in the mortal world sooner.

After a busy day with worshippers coming and going at the temple...

"Hades, there was no mention of the Gigantes today either."

Parona, the high priestess of my temple, prayed after finishing her daily tasks. Her eyes were dark with exhaustion from the recent increase in workload, and it pained me to see her like this.

She had to screen those who wished to become priests of Pluto, manage the staff sent by the royal family because of my oracle, and handle the offerings.

She had many responsibilities, especially considering she was the only priestess at my temple.

Parona finished her prayer and collapsed onto her bed.

"Sigh... Today was exhausting..."

Still, as a priestess who offered me direct worship, I could intervene in the mortal world through her body. I quietly infused her with power to relieve her fatigue.

Through the invisible thread of faith that connected us, I sent her renewed vigor.

"Ah... the fatigue... Thank you, Lord Hades."

Keep working hard to gather information about the Gigantes.

The next day, the god Hermes visited the Underworld.

"Messenger of all gods, Hermes is here, Uncle!"

Will he inform me of the measures being taken regarding the Gigantes? With a lively face, he pulled out a scroll from his pocket.

"Most of the gods of Olympus held a meeting. Father was very serious the whole time."

Apparently, the gods were convened after hearing news about the Gigantes, who posed a significant threat. There was even talk of another war and discussions on sending oracles to humans to locate the Gigantes.

Poseidon ordered his followers to check the coasts and rivers, and hundreds of eagles sent by Zeus scoured the world.

Other gods, like Pan and various nymphs, also searched the earth, but...

"No trace of the Gigantes was found. I wore out my shoes looking..."

Shoes wear out? Hephaestus's inventions are truly a mystery. I glanced at Hermes' winged sandals.

According to Hermes, Athena's analysis suggested that the Gigantes Cadmus fought probably acted alone, possibly sent by Gaia to gauge the gods' response and readiness.

"Poseidon and Demeter could uproot the earth, but the human lives at stake..."

That's the problem. We're at a disadvantage in the fight against the Gigantes.

"That's the issue. We have something to protect." "Indeed. It's different from the Titanomachy before you were born."

During the war with the Titans, it was an all-out battle between opposing divine races. But now, with mortals to protect, the situation has changed.

One might think it wouldn't matter if humans got caught in the crossfire since they could just be remade. However, gods who have grown attached to this world can't make such decisions lightly.

Many gods, like Cadmus and Harmonia, have fallen in love with humans. Zeus himself has sired many children with mortal women.

Even beyond that, it's hard to ignore those who pray and offer worship to the gods. Punishing an entire town or country is one thing, but sweeping the entire earth...

"I've given orders to nymphs and minor gods to notify us immediately if they find any Gigantes."

And Apollo has also issued an oracle from the Delphi temple, warning humans of the dangerous monsters. Other gods are taking their own measures as well.

"Now I'll take my leave! I need to visit Demeter next!" "See you next time."

"Hades, grant your blessings to these new priests."

After sending Hermes off, I heard Parona's voice from the mortal world. She was in the temple, surrounded by a few people kneeling before her in black robes.

It seems Parona has chosen some followers to assist her. As they all bowed and clasped their hands, I felt the sincerity of their worship.

Good, it seems she selected the right ones. If they were only pretending to pray or faking their faith, I would know instantly.

"Thank you..." "Oh... This is...!" "Is he acknowledging us as priests?"

Black divine energy swirled around them, bestowing them with shards of power. It would lessen their illnesses and notify me or Parona if any priest died.

They also received part of the blessing of wealth, ensuring they wouldn't fall behind the priests of other gods. Especially against the followers of Dionysus spreading through Thebes.

It felt like encroaching on my nephew's playground by gathering followers in Thebes, where Dionysus had established himself.

Dionysus, born from the union of Zeus and Semele, daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, eventually became one of the Twelve Olympian Gods.

Though all the thrones of the Twelve Gods were already taken, Hestia, the most benevolent god of Olympus, yielded her golden throne to Dionysus.

Despite his tendency to harshly punish even the slightest disrespect from mortals, it was impossible to force the god of wine and madness to be lenient.

I remember when Pentheus, the king of Thebes who irked my nephew, came to the Underworld.

"This is truly unfair! Lord Hades, I only did it for the sake of Thebes..." "Let's talk after drinking some more of the Lethe water." "Aaah! Mother!! Lord Dionysus!!!"

The memory of Pentheus, who was killed by his own mother driven mad, was so intense that he retained his memories even after crossing the River Lethe.

It was painful to see him screaming as if he had inherited Dionysus's madness. Even Thanatos, who brought him to the Underworld, wore a bitter expression.

"Easy... easy. Your madness is too much for ordinary humans to bear." "I will be more careful since you say so, Uncle Hades."

Though he agreed to be more restrained, I couldn't help but doubt whether the god of madness could really suppress his madness.

I found it hard to believe even as I spoke to him.

"Hades...!" "What is it now?"

While continuing to monitor the mortal world, the goddess Lethe called out to me, her fair face showing signs of worry and embarrassment.

"I think I made a mistake when bestowing blessings to the believers..."

Many mortals mistakenly thought we were married due to the statues of Lethe and Styx alongside mine. Hence, they often prayed to these goddesses as well.

"Some believers prayed to me to erase bad memories... I erased a bit too much..."

I glanced into the mortal world.

"And who are you?" "Oh, Father... Don't you remember me? It's me!" "Get away! Stop bothering strangers!" "You said you were going to pray this morning, so why...?"

An old man was arguing with a middle-aged man, who seemed to be his son, by the looks of it. But the old man didn't recognize him.

"I erased just a bit... starting from recent memories, about 30 years' worth..." "My goddess, you erased 30 years of memories?"

What were you thinking, erasing 30 years?

"We need to ask the goddess Mnemosyne to restore his memory quickly." "He was so earnest in his prayer that I just... made a small mistake..."

Isn't this what mortals call... dementia or Alzheimer's in their previous life?

Seeing the guilt-ridden Lethe, I gently pinched her cheeks and stretched them.

Her soft skin followed my touch.

"Aaah! What are you doing...?!"

"When bestowing blessings on mortals, always be cautious. Especially since humans live only about 100 years, even less. While 30 years might be short for us gods, it's a major calamity for mortals to lose 30 years of memory."

I found myself scolding her, like Styx.

"I understand..."

Her ears weren't pinched, but why were they so red?