King of Underworld

Chapter 25 The Story of Pluto’s Temple – (2)

“Kyaaa!.. Ha.. Haa..”

Parona, a priestess of Hades’ temple, screamed as she rose from her seat.

The headache caused by the infusion of knowledge, the strange energy felt throughout her body.

She quickly grabbed the water beside her and began organizing the memories she had just received.

First, what her lord, Hades, desired from her was the revival of the temple and the expansion of its influence.

Ultimately, he wished for her to assist in finding the monsters known as Gigantes.

When she briefly recalled the appearance of these creatures called Gigantes, she shuddered at the horrific image.

A creature with the lower body of a serpent and the upper body of a human, large in size, a man-eating monster.

“Ugh…”

And the blessings she received from Hades were surprisingly abundant.

It was like how the priestess of Apollo at the Delphi temple would make prophecies in a trance, and how the huntresses received Artemis’s blessing for maintaining their chastity.

Similarly, she, too, was now able to partially wield the power of the god she served.

A blessing of wealth, where even without doing anything, fortune followed her, and the ability to communicate with certain souls.

And then, when she slightly raised her hand, she could feel the cold, dark energy.

‘Even though I was already a bit envious of Hecate’s priestesses…’

Hecate, the goddess of magic.

To wield magic, a human must become a priestess or follower of Hecate.

Only then could they receive the knowledge of magic and handle mysterious powers.

Despite serving a deity of the highest rank, known as one of the three supreme gods, I hadn’t received any powers until now.

Did her god, who seemed uninterested in the mortal world, give her so much because the Gigantes monsters were truly dangerous?

‘Lord Hades… Honestly, I’m a little scared…’

Finally, there was the matter of appointing her as the high priestess of the underworld lord, Hades.

‘This seems far too overwhelming a responsibility for someone like me…’

Parona’s face fell as her shoulders slumped.

Still, being a priestess of Hades, and with her devotion to her faith, she steeled her resolve…

When a guest arrived.

A young servant in luxurious and neat attire, seemingly from the royal family.

“Are you the priestess of Hades… No, of Pluto? King Polydoros, the rightful ruler of Thebes, has summoned you.”

* * *

The great hero who founded Thebes and the current ruler, a descendant of Cadmus.

King Polydoros clasped his head as he watched the priestess of Hades approach.

As the priestess of Hades paid her respects to the king, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Last night, someone who claimed to be the god Morpheus told me in a dream that if I revive the temple of Pluto, the kingdom would prosper…”

This was undoubtedly a divine oracle.

An oracle is when a divine being conveys their will or a warning to a human, predicts a special human’s fate, or when a human seeks information from the gods.

“And he also told me to speak with the priestess of Pluto.”

Was this yet another case of the gods interfering in Thebes, especially after the death of Pentheus, the previous king, which involved the gods of Olympus?

Pentheus had met his end as a consequence of persecuting the followers of Dionysos, one of the newly born twelve gods of Olympus.

Though Dionysos was the god of wine and madness, Hades was…

“So, what did Pluto say he would do if I didn’t follow the oracle? Drag all the people of Thebes to the underworld?”

King Polydoros looked at the priestess before him with a gaze filled with slight fear and displeasure.

He had never been so afraid of what might come out of the mouth of a beautiful priestess dressed in black.

The priestess, looking somewhat flustered, but remained calm as she responded.

“Lord Hades… only spoke of the benefits and said he wouldn’t impose any punishments.”

“He won’t impose any punishments?”

The gods are all capricious, self-centered, and arrogant.

At least, that’s what Polydoros thought.

Anyone who had gone through experiences similar to his would think the same.

The mistake made by Pentheus, the previous king of Thebes.

When he lightly repressed the followers of Dionysos, the god who troubled Thebes…

“Aaaah! Mother, it’s me! It’s Pentheus!”

“A boar! It’s a boar! Kill it!!!”

“It’s a boar disrupting the festival of Lord Dionysos! Kill it!!!”

“Aaaaah!!!”

To cause the death of a king, and that too, by the hands of his own mother driven mad.

It was truly a horrific event, and ever since, everyone took care not to go against the will of the gods.

They would never dare to steal from Hades’ temple, and no one would dare flirt with the beautiful priestess before them.

And so, King Polydoros asked again.

“Speak honestly, no need to lie, for I intend to follow the will of Pluto anyway.”

“That is… truly what he said. The more followers he has, the more blessings of wealth he will bestow upon Thebes…”

Could it be that the lord of the underworld is more merciful than the god of wine?

Or maybe, since everyone eventually becomes his subjects after death, he shows mercy in the mortal world?

Or is it possible that when he interferes in the mortal world, he only acts as the god of wealth?

After all, Hades is also the owner of all treasures beneath the earth…

Regardless, the king had to follow the will of the god, and the chances of Thebes suffering harm seemed low.

Even though he had to rely on the mercy of Pluto, there was a chance the city might receive some divine favor.

Having calculated quickly, King Polydoros showed his agreement.

“Well, I understand. So, is there anything I can help with?”

“For now, in the name of the royal family…”

* * *

Cold, dark, and terrifying underworld.

I was watching the events unfolding in Thebes from here.

“They say if you pray at Pluto’s temple, you’ll receive the blessing of wealth.”

“That’s what the royal family officially announced. It’s widely known that His Majesty received an oracle.”

“Wow… So is Pluto now protecting our Thebes?”

“Not quite. It seems he will only bring wealth to his followers…”

In the only temple in Thebes, I breathed life into my marble statue.

So that those who prayed sincerely there could receive a faint blessing of wealth.

“After praying at the temple, I found a drachma on the ground.”

“Even though Pluto’s other name is terrifying…”

“You think Ares won’t get angry if I go there?”

“I hope I don’t get dragged to the underworld for offering a disrespectful prayer…”

More and more people began to visit my temple, which stood alone on the outskirts of Thebes.

At first, only merchants who sought the blessing of wealth came, but as word spread through the royal announcement and rumors, ordinary citizens started visiting out of curiosity.

The frequency of offerings from the mortal world increased, and those who experienced the effects of the wealth blessing brought in more citizens.

“Pluto, please, I beg you, let my journey to Athens go smoothly.”

“I’m entering the mine this time, could you please show me where the gold vein is buried…”

Most of it was for wealth.

Which, of course, was what I intended.

Though the name Hades is feared, the epithet Pluto is preferred by all as the god of wealth.

If mortals were reluctant, I could simply act under a different name in the mortal world.

“The god who rules the underworld, Lord Hades… I wonder if my parents who passed away last year are doing well…”

“My friend wasn’t exactly a good person, but I beg for your mercy…”

Sometimes, there were followers who sought the lord of the underworld rather than the god of wealth.

Usually, these were humans nearing death or those whose loved ones had been visited by Thanatos.

Their prayers were far more desperate than those who called upon Pluto.

Occasionally, I would hear the most desperate prayers and have Morpheus let them meet their deceased loved ones in a dream.

Of course, this was done under the strict supervision of Morpheus or Hypnos, and most humans would forget the details upon waking…

“Please..! Please, just let me see my mother one more time!”

“Sniff… To think I would hear my father’s last words in a dream… But at least he’s doing well there, I’m truly relieved.”

The number of people seeking to meet their deceased loved ones increased as they returned to my temple.

Even if their prayers were sad, they could only meet once… So don’t try to soften my heart.

Rumors began to spread among humans that if you wanted to see your deceased family members even once, you should visit Pluto’s temple…

* * *

Underworld, Hades’ office.

I was satisfied watching the temple’s influence grow day by day.

If the temple’s influence continued to grow, I might quickly gather information about the Gigantes…

And if needed, I could even descend into the priestess’s body.

If someone started praying about a friend being killed by a half-human, half-serpent monster near Thebes,

That would be a sign of the Gigantes’ presence.

Parona, the priestess, was doing well, so now I just needed the information network I planted in the mortal world to catch a Gigantes…

“Hades.”

When I turned my head, I saw the goddess Lethe with her long silver hair.

She was approaching with her lips pouting. What

is it that displeases her this time…!

“Hades, I hear you’ve been expanding your temple in Thebes lately?”

“Yes, but…”

There was a hint of disappointment in Lethe’s eyes, which gazed blankly into the distance.

Could it be that she’s sad because she doesn’t have a temple of her own?

“But why isn’t my statue placed next to yours…?”

Sometimes, married deities were worshiped together in a single temple…

But we didn’t get married, did we?

Lethe looked up at me with her lips slightly parted.

The words that escaped from her delicate lips were…

“I also… want to be by your side…”

Please don’t look at me like a drenched small animal… It’s not good for my heart.