King of Underworld

Chapter 88

Love and Fire - (3)

"...So, you want to divorce Hephaestus and Aphrodite and arrange a new match for him?" "That's right. If you help, it’ll be much easier to persuade Zeus, won’t it?"

After calmly explaining the situation, Hera quickly realized this wasn’t about rebellion. As the Queen of the Gods, she regained her composure, lounging back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"You’re asking the Goddess of Marriage to help break up a marriage? Does that seem right to you, Hades?" "But you already know it’s a broken, unstable marriage."

Hera’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Finding them a harmonious new family should be the duty of the Goddess of Marriage, don’t you think?" "Hmm... That’s one way to look at it." "Hephaestus has already given up on Aphrodite. If you help him find a new family, he’ll be so grateful he’ll probably weep and thank you."

Hephaestus had been thrown to Lemnos by Hera right after birth. Thankfully, she’d come to regret that in recent years.

"The reason Hephaestus even attempted to assault Athena was because his relationship with Aphrodite wasn’t fulfilling. Now that there’s a child born between him and Gaia... If Gaia shows up beautifully adorned in front of Hephaestus..." "Are you saying he might fall for her beauty?" "I wouldn’t say he’d betray us, but he might reveal some information or fulfill a small favor without realizing it."

Hera had a soft spot for Athena, so this incident must have been a shock for her. A little more persuasion...

"And Zeus brought a boy named Ganymedes to Olympus recently..." Grit! "He’s even going after boys now! Do I have to compete with men now too?!"

Her previously calm demeanor vanished, and the Goddess of Marriage was suddenly fuming. So, it really was because of Ganymedes' appearance...

"Ahem. Anyway... Zeus himself acts out of attraction, even to the same sex, yet he’s suppressing the love between Aphrodite and Ares, isn’t he?" "That’s true." "And if you help me, Aphrodite will be grateful that she can be with Ares. The Goddess of Love might even..." "Give me advice on how to win back Zeus’s attention from that boy?" "Exactly. If things go well, I’ll make sure Aphrodite knows how much you helped."

Aphrodite could lend Hera her enchanted girdle, the Cestus Himá, or provide other advice on matters of love. Either way, Hera stood to benefit.

"Alright. I’ll support this." "Good. Let’s go talk to Zeus now."

With Hera and Poseidon in tow, we headed to Zeus. In his expansive bedroom, the King of the Gods was napping.

Poseidon stepped forward to wake him.

"Wake up, Zeus." "Hmm...?!"

But as soon as Zeus opened his eyes and saw Poseidon...

"Who... Poseidon? And even Hera?!"

The Sky God immediately sprang to his feet, summoning a bolt of lightning. A massive electric storm burst from his hands, shaking the entire building.

FLASH! BOOM!

"...Is this another rebellion?! Poseidon, if you’re challenging me again, then come at me!" "No, you misunderstand..."@@@@

"Haah... It’s not what you think, Zeus." "...Oh, Brother Hades? So this isn’t a rebellion..."

As the storm raged around us, I pressed a hand to my forehead.

While she wasn’t quite as beautiful as Aphrodite, Aglaea was still incredibly lovely. She slipped through the gathered gods and linked arms with Hephaestus, smiling.

"Lord Hephaestus!" "Ah, yes..." "The necklace you made me last time—it was so beautiful!"

Though Hephaestus was a blacksmith god, his domain also included fire and volcanoes, making him a god of considerable rank. Despite his appearance, as one of the Twelve Olympians and Zeus’s firstborn, he was still highly sought after.

Meanwhile, Aphrodite and Ares seemed pleased... The real issue was, of course, the other gods. The first problem came in the form of Hermes’s question.

"Um, Father. But didn’t you declare that Hephaestus would always be Aphrodite’s husband?"

At this, Zeus furrowed his brow and glared at Ares and Aphrodite.

"Those two are practically inseparable... Tch! They’ve already had Harmonia and Eros, haven’t they?"

Even under Zeus’s scornful gaze, Ares and Aphrodite didn’t seem bothered. If anything, they shrugged as if they’d gladly accept such a small amount of criticism.

"I admit, it was my mistake to force a loveless marriage! But if any god dares stir up trouble over Aphrodite, they will feel the full force of my lightning!"

RUMBLE!

With Zeus’s stern warning, and the fact that Poseidon, Hera, and I were all watching closely, the lesser gods would surely think twice before causing any trouble over Aphrodite.

Still, I should have a word with her to tone down her allure... Though I doubt much can be done about Ares, we should at least control the potential for chaos.

Of course, the real problem will be some of the higher gods, who are still captivated by her beauty.

"Aphrodite, if you ever tire of Ares..." "Hermes. The granddaughter of Minos, Apemosyne, whom you forced yourself on, is in the Underworld. Shall I bring her here?" "Wh-what?! No, that’s...!"

"Ahem, Uncle Hades. Unlike Hermes, I could make Aphrodite truly happy..." "Apollo, I’m sure Daphne, who turned into a tree because of you, would disagree." "That was because of Eros’s arrow—no, never mind."

Poseidon had given up, and... was that Dionysus looking over at us with a suspicious gaze?

Glare.

...::;;

Dionysus turned his head away at my silent warning. Good. With all the mortals who’ve lost their minds and died at his wild festivals, I’ve had more than enough.

"Haha..."

Ares... well, they’ve already had children, so I’ll leave him be for now. I glanced around at the other gods. The winds, the rivers, or perhaps the minor deities under Demeter...

Wait a minute, aren’t most of these gods just reckless troublemakers? Then again, considering the way Zeus has been leading them...

"...Ahem. Ahem! Let’s conclude this meeting! The wedding of Hephaestus and Aglaea will be held in Olympus..."

With so many gods, why are there so few normal ones?