Eros’s Wedding – Aftermath (1)

 

A letter from Demeter arrived in the Underworld from Olympus.
The letter stated...

That the matter of Eros and Psyche had been resolved successfully and the proposal to marry them had passed,
and that under the guidance of Zeus, Psyche would be made the goddess of the soul and mind to ensure her happiness with Eros.
Furthermore, the letter extended an invitation to their wedding, which would be held on Olympus...

Hades, while you’re on your way up to Olympus, could you bring my daughter, Persephone? And how are things progressing between the two of you...

Hmm. I get the gist of what this means.
She’s asking me to bring Persephone along when I attend the wedding of Eros.

"Persephone."

"Hades? Did you call for me?"

"Your mother wants to see you, so come with me to attend Eros’s wedding."

"Is it finally my turn? To attend Hades’s wedding in disguise as a guest..."

I turned away from Persephone, who was looking at me with sparkling eyes, and read the letter again.
Making Psyche a goddess and marrying her to Eros was likely a way to restrain him.

Even though I gave him a stern warning, who knows when he’ll start shooting those golden and lead arrows again?
They must have thought that starting a family and maturing would help calm him down.

Given the number of victims of infidelity caused by those arrows, Hera, as the goddess of marriage, must have been in favor.
And the other gods probably didn’t oppose placing the restraint of marriage on Eros either.

...Well, as long as the couple is happy, there’s no problem.

 

When Persephone and I arrived on Olympus, the lively atmosphere proved that a wedding was about to take place.
In the distance, I could see Eros, arm in arm with the beautifully adorned Psyche, both smiling.

Indeed, she has a beauty that rivals the goddesses. No wonder Eros fell for her at first sight.
While Aphrodite exudes a seductive allure, Psyche has an innocent charm that captivates without even realizing it.

“Oh! Lord Hades!”

“A-Ah, it’s him...”

Eros spotted me and, along with Psyche, began approaching. As the wedding couple came toward me, I noticed the eyes of many following them.
Hmm... the feeling Psyche gives me is similar to the way the worshippers of Thebes gaze at me.

"Eros. Congratulations on your wedding. And you as well, Psyche."

"Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Lord Hades. You helped me realize so much..."

"Don’t thank me. Instead, take good care of your bride, who loves you. And don’t even think of straying like some others."

"Of course. My heart belongs only to Psyche."

Seeing the two of them so close, I believe he will keep his word.
After I finished speaking with Eros, Psyche, standing beside him, greeted me politely with a bow.
Wait, you’re a goddess now, so you don’t need to bow. Were you really one of my worshippers?

"Thank you sincerely, Lord of the Underworld. I am grateful that you listened to the plea of a lowly mortal like me and allowed me to meet my husband, Eros."

"It’s not me you should thank. It was your patience during those 100 days that allowed you to win his love."

Perhaps it was because of the oracle I gave to Psyche’s parents.
But I’m not too comfortable with being worshipped by a goddess, honestly.

"To resist curiosity is no easy task—it’s something even Pandora could not do.
You overcame what the first mortal woman could not, so it’s only right you are rewarded.
Of course, the fact that you two love each other made it possible..."

"Nevertheless, I thank you once again. My parents, too, have built a new temple dedicated to Lord Pluto, and the entire kingdom is now offering prayers to the Underworld..."

"That’s unnecessary. Just live happily with your husband."

"Hehe. Understood, my merciful lord."

I gently interrupted Psyche’s soft laughter and left a few more words of blessing.
For a wedding gift, a necklace made from the deep minerals of the underworld should be suitable. It’s imbued with my blessing, so it will serve her well.

Psyche looked delighted as she received the necklace.

"To be honest, when I first realized my suitor was Lord Eros, I was rather taken aback."

"...?"

"A god who makes people fall in love with others of the same gender—it was quite... shocking."

Did Psyche also hear the rumors spreading from Thebes... 'Homosexuality is Eros’s prank'?
Although, to be fair, that rumor might have some truth to it.

"Ah, no, Psyche... that’s just a misunderstanding. I don’t do that anymore..."

"Hmm. Are you sure?"

Psyche teased her husband as Eros fumbled for excuses.
Their sweet conversation made me smile, but just then, a man’s voice called out from behind me.

"Uncle Hades. I’m glad you made it."

"Hephaestus. And Aglaia too."

It was Hephaestus, who had divorced Aphrodite and remarried Aglaia, the goddess of radiance.
Beside him was Aglaia, adorned with jewels crafted by the god of smithing.

They both bowed to greet me.

"Hephaestus. Are you enjoying married life?"

"Hmph. Of course, Uncle. Aglaia is pregnant with our child."

"Oh... Congratulations."

Aglaia, her face flushed, gently stroked her slightly protruding belly. It seems their relationship is going well.
I’m glad I helped end his marriage to Aphrodite—it seems to have worked out for the best.

As I chatted briefly with them, Hymenaeus, the god of marriage, raised his voice slightly to announce,

"We will now begin the wedding ceremony!"

And so, the wedding of Eros and Psyche commenced.

 

Their wedding ceremony lasted for quite some time.
Hera, the goddess of family, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Hymenaeus, the god of marriage, all stepped forward to offer their blessings.

"Hmph. I still haven’t fully accepted you. You had better conduct yourself properly."

"Y-yes, Lady Aphrodite."

"Mother, why are you acting like this on such a joyous day..."

"Tsk. In any case, I’ll be keeping a close eye on you."

"...Yes..."

Naturally, Aphrodite was less than pleased but showed a reluctant acceptance.
It seems Psyche might face a bit of a challenge as a daughter-in-law.

But with most of the gods blessing this union... Oh, wait. Something’s odd.
At this wedding, the musician isn’t Apollo... It’s one of the Muses, Terpsichore.

Where is Apollo? Perhaps it’s related to the punishment I asked Zeus to impose last time...
And Poseidon is nowhere to be seen either. Hmm.

I quickly made my way over to where Zeus was laughing and chatting with some maidens.

"Ah, brother Hades, you’ve arrived."
"Zeus. I don’t see Apollo anywhere. What’s going on? Did you send him to serve among mortals again?"

"My foolish son? I was going to do that to punish him for killing Orion, but... there was no need."

The king of the gods frowned slightly as he spoke.
So, he was keeping an eye on the Otos mountain expedition too, I see.

"Apollo was beaten by Poseidon and dragged into the sea."

"...I suspected as much."

As I thought, Poseidon wouldn’t let this slide.

 

Unlike the incident when Ares’s daughter was almost assaulted by Poseidon’s son, this time Poseidon had every right to be furious.
Even Zeus allowed Poseidon’s rage, as Apollo had carelessly killed a great hero who had slain Typhon’s children.

So, shortly after I returned Apollo to Olympus...

"Apollo! Have you gone mad, letting the mortals worship you as the god of the sun?!"

"Uncle, it’s just..."

"I don’t want to hear it! Zeus, do you mind if I take this wretch away with me?"

"...Hmm. Just don’t overdo it, Poseidon."

And with that, Poseidon beat him and dragged him by the collar into the sea...
According to Zeus, Apollo was likely being punished by being made to emit light deep under the sea.

So that’s why Apollo hasn’t returned from the ocean yet.

"...He may be the god of reason, but when it comes to his sister, his rationality disappears.
Sigh... dealing with children is never easy."

"He brought this on himself."

"Killing a hero as great as Orion in a moment of emotional turmoil... what a waste."

Indeed, Zeus was aware that Poseidon had resisted Gaia’s attempt to sway him.
He must have decided that Apollo deserved a fitting punishment.

"And there must be more to it. Killing his son surely wouldn’t have satisfied Poseidon entirely..."

"You’re right. So, to appease Artemis as well, I made a proposal to Poseidon."

Zeus looked up at the sky—more precisely, at the sun. I followed his gaze and witnessed something strange.
Helios’s chariot, carrying the sun, was racing across the sky, but... what’s this?

Suddenly, Selene’s moon chariot appeared below the sun chariot, blocking its light.

Ssshhh-

The sun turned dark. Or rather, it was eclipsed by the moon.

I quickly turned my gaze to the mortal world below. The chaos among the humans was evident.
Sure enough, the world below was in turmoil, with some mortals even offering prayers to me.

"The sun... the sun has darkened!"

"Has something happened to Apollo? Lord Zeus, help us!"

"What... what is this calamity?! The sun has disappeared!"

"No, it’s not that the sun has disappeared—it’s been swallowed by darkness!"

"What god could be so angered? We must offer sacrifices immediately..."

The mortals below looked to the sky in despair. Many rushed to the temples, convinced that Zeus was punishing them...
Others fell to their knees in repentance, while many cowered in their homes in fear.

"That is the punishment I’ve given to Apollo for killing Orion out of personal vengeance.
To comfort Artemis, I arranged for the moon to periodically eclipse the sun."

"So, you had Selene’s chariot follow Helios’s directly below?"

"Yes. I asked both Helios and Selene in advance. Every time the sun darkens, the other gods will learn from this example."

Some might question whether it’s fair to humiliate him like this just for killing a mortal hero...
But unlike Ares, who was born of Hera, Apollo is an illegitimate child, so Zeus is less protective of him.

It’s also a lesson for the gods not to harm mortals out of personal emotions.
With this punishment, Poseidon’s anger should finally subside.

"Wait, having the moon block the sun..."

"...?"

This is clearly... the phenomenon called an eclipse in my previous life, isn’t it?